When Lightening Strikes
by starfan88
Summary: [futurefic] Five years have passed since Tommy left Jude at the restaurant. When one too many coincidences bring them together again, will they be able to handle the consequences? COMPLETED!
1. Chapter 1

Hi—I'm back with another story. This one is pretty different from my last two. It's a story of Jude's life five years after Tommy leaves, told almost entirely from her perspective.

It's not the most original story line—several writers have crafted their own futurefic's with Tommy and Jude, but this one has my own personal spin on it. It's how I see their lives playing out if Tommy never came back, while Jude is forced to move on without him. The only other background info you'll need is that Jude now has a boyfriend, Rob, who also lives in New York. The rest will be explained within the story.

When I started writing this story, I became so engrossed in it, I had trouble turning my computer off. So a lot of it is already written—like at least 15 chapters. I know, I was seriously on a roll. I'm not planning on doing author's notes for each chapter, unless there's something specific to say. But I will pose the following disclaimers that apply to the rest of the story:

What I do own: the story itself, any band names (they're all made up, except for one in a later chapter, which I'll note then), Mix Magazine (totally made up), Cleo's Restaurant, and any characters who don't actually exist in the real IS world

What I don't own: Jude, Tommy, or anything actually associated with Instant Star, NYU, or Starbucks (a constant reference)

I'm taking a chance and posting two chapters as a starter, because I think both are important to give background on where Jude's life stands and where the story really begins.

People say to write what you know. Well, this story isn't exactly what I know, since I'm not a singer and I unfortunately never had a Tommy Q in my life, but it definitely has some similarities. I love the story, but I appreciate any constructive criticism you might have. So be honest—let me know what you think. And with all of my stories, I hope you enjoy :-)

* * *

"Grande mocha with skim milk." 

"Grande skim mocha!" the girl cried out to her counterpart behind the counter. "And you?"

"Tall latte with no extra foam."

"Tall latte – no foam! Anything else?"

"Nope, that's it," Jude said as Rob went to grab his wallet out of his back pocket.

"I can get it this time," Jude said, digging into her bag to produce a $20 bill. "You paid last time."

She handed the money to the girl behind the counter who instantly produced change and ushered them along to the pick-up counter.

"Thanks," he said, putting the wallet back in his pocket.

"This Starbucks habit of ours is expensive, we should split it," Jude suggested, leaning against the edge of the pick-up counter.

"Expensive is an understatement. I think I've paid more money to Starbucks than I have to my grad school tuition," Rob said.

"Grande skim mocha!" the woman behind the pick-up counter yelled. Jude immediately turned and grabbed the cup out of her hand, retrieving her coffee.

"Tall latte, no foam," the woman said, handing Rob his cup of coffee.

Armed with their caffeine fix, they headed out of Starbucks, emerging onto the busy sidewalk on the corner of West 4th and Grove. Taking small sips from their cups, they both exhaled deeply.

"Best $4.50 I'll spend all day," Jude said softly. They took a few moments to sip more, before beginning their day.

"So," Rob started, walking towards the subway, "ready for your big interview with The Heat?"

"I guess," she replied hesitantly, walking alongside him. "I listened to their CD again last night, but honestly, it's still not gelling for me. I don't know—something's off. But I can't exactly tell them that in the interview."

"Sure you can," he countered. "You're a professional. And you've been in their shoes."

"I can't come out and say, 'You guys are the biggest up-and-coming band in New York City but I thought your album was dull.' That would officially turn my first interview into my last."

"Jude, it's called constructive criticism. You're entitled to your own opinion."

"But I'm supposed to just ask questions and be neutral. I don't know…" she said, approaching the subway and stopping to look at him.

"You'll do great," he said, leaning in and giving her a quick kiss.

"Thanks," she said timidly. "And good luck on your exam today."

"Thanks," he returned. "I'll need it."

"I'll see you tonight then?" she asked, finishing up her mocha and tossing the empty cup into the trash bin next to them.

"Yup. 6:30 at Cleo's, right?"

"Right," she confirmed. "See you then."

She waved goodbye as they separated, him crossing the street to go to the uptown train and she walking down the stairs towards the downtown train.

--------------

"Do you guys mind if I record this? So I can remember everything and quote you accurately," Jude asked, looking into the eyes of the five guys before her.

"Sure, we don't care," one of them replied.

"Great," she said, turning her handheld recorder on and placing it on the table between them. She took a deep breath and began, "So, I'm sitting here with The Heat, New York's biggest punk band at the moment. How does it feel to be on the cover of magazines and have your faces start to appear on TV?"

"It feels weird," one of the guys responded, who Jude remembered was Johnny, the lead singer. "When people start to recognize us, it's a strange feeling."

"Yeah, I understand," Jude muttered quietly. "Do you like the attention or would you prefer to remain anonymous?"

"It's a good thing. It means that people are listening to the album, which is our goal – to get people to hear the music," the drummer, Simon, replied.

"How was the process of making the album?" she asked.

"It was cool," Johnny said. "We liked being in the studio and actually laying down our stuff. Hearing the CD for the first time was unbelievable."

"It is amazing, isn't it? Getting to hold the CD, it's like a rush," Jude replied instinctively. She quickly cleared her throat, remembering her place as the interviewer, not the interviewee. "So, anyway, are you happy about—"

"Wait," the guitarist, Steve, interrupted suddenly. He scrutinized Jude for a second and then asked. "Are you the Jude Harrison? As in, Instant Star Jude Harrison?"

Jude blushed a little and then said quietly, "That's me."

"Wow," Steve said, "I heard your name but didn't put two and two together. I have family from Canada who love you—they have all of your albums."

"Really? That's great," Jude said timidly, totally flustered at being recognized.

"Your music, it was really great. I'm not usually a fan of the whole chick music thing, but your stuff was different. It was real, emotional. Inspiring."

"Wow, thank you," she said, blushing again. The rest of the band looked at her like she was from Mars. They obviously had no idea who she was or what he was talking about. Steve noticed their confused reactions and started to explain.

"She's the first Instant Star winner. It was like American Idol but in Canada. She was huge—won all of these awards and put out a bunch of hit albums."

They all nodded in understanding, as he looked back at her and asked, "Actually, what happened? You haven't put out anything new in years."

Jude shifted uncomfortably, never knowing how to answer this question. "I just…moved on. After my third album, I needed a change. So I moved here to go to school and ended up staying. I got this journalist job at Mix Magazine after graduation and…the rest is history."

"So you're not recording anymore?" Johnny asked.

"Nope," she said, shaking her head.

"That's a shame," Steve said. "You had some serious talent. Not that you're not a great journalist or anything…"

Jude laughed. "No, I understand. Music was everything to me. It still is. I guess I just needed some time away from recording and performing."

"You got burnt out?" Steve asked.

"Sort of…" Jude responded vaguely. "Anyway, this interview is for you guys, not me. You're our top story in the next issue and you're my first big interview, so let's get back to you."

The guys all nodded in agreement and returned to the interview. The rest of the hour went smoothly, with all questions focused on their debut album, upcoming tour, and rise to fame.

---------------

At 6:30, right on time, a cheerful Jude walked into Cleo's and saw Rob sitting in their booth in the corner. She approached him and gave him a quick kiss before sitting down opposite him.

"Looks like someone had a good day," he commented, seeing her smile.

"I did, actually," she replied. "The Heat was awesome. They were such nice guys and they gave a great interview."

"That's great, Jude," he said. "Did you tell them you weren't thrilled with their music?"

"Not exactly…" she said slowly. "I gave them a few ideas, but I couldn't bring myself to tell them what I really thought. It would've blown the interview."

"Not if they were professional," he replied. "They should know how to take criticism."

"Well, I didn't want to," she put simply. "This was my first interview, Rob, I didn't want to walk away feeling like I had pissed them off. It wasn't right."

"Whatever," he muttered quietly, picking up his menu.

She looked at him, slightly put off by his demeanor. "Did you have a bad day or something? How did your exam go?"

"Not great," he mumbled.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, looking down at her own menu.

He sighed and looked at her. "It's okay, I'm sorry. I'm just frustrated—I studied really hard for that exam and I walked out feeling like I failed. What more do I have to do?"

"Maybe you should meet with the professor," she suggested.

He thought for a moment. "Yeah…that's not a bad idea."

"Maybe you're just paranoid over nothing. Just see how you did and you can always go talk to him if you're not happy with your grade."

"Okay," he replied with a smile. "Sorry about my bad mood before."

"It's okay," she said with a grin.

"Anyway, I'm happy that your interview went well."

"Thanks," she said. "It was cool. One of the guys even recognized me."

"Seriously?" he asked in surprise. When Jude met Rob at a friend's party, she was a senior at NYU and had officially given up her music career to pursue writing. Being originally from Connecticut, Rob had no clue who Jude Harrison was or her days as the reigning Instant Star winner. She briefly told him of her past life but didn't go into detail.

"What did he say?" he asked curiously.

"Just that he had family from Canada and they were all fans of mine back in the day. He had heard some of my stuff and liked it."

"That's cool," Rob said. "When do I get to hear some of your stuff?"

She laughed lightly and replied, "Whenever you want—just go buy the CD. All proceeds go to my student loan foundation."

"I don't get a live concert?" he asked sweetly.

"Nope," she answered quickly. "No more live concerts. Sorry."

"Not even for your boyfriend? Who's treating you to dinner?"

"Hmmm…" she said, appearing to be in thought. "Tempting offer, but sorry. I've retired my guitar."

He shook his head in disappointment as she continued. "Anyway, let's order. I'm starving."

"What else is new," he mumbled quietly, as she leaned across the table and hit his arm.


	2. Chapter 2

Jude woke up the next morning to rain pounding on her window. She groaned as she turned off the alarm clock buzzing next to her. She knew, just from the look of the harsh wind blowing the rain around the street below, that it was going to be one of those days. She hopped into the shower and got dressed, putting on black pants and a turquoise top, trying to look professional. She applied a little makeup and then hastily threw the contents for her day into her navy messenger bag – wallet, cell phone, notebook, pen, recorder, chap stick, keys. She put her black heels on and grabbed her jacket and umbrella, rushing out the door to meet Rob outside.

"Sorry I'm late," she muttered, breezing out the front door and putting her umbrella up to shield her from the rain.

"It's okay," he replied with a smile. "But the line at Starbucks looks really bad, so we might be in trouble."

"Great," she replied miserably. "Now I'll really be late for work."

She felt the rain slap her face as they started to walk down the street. She tilted her umbrella to try to cover herself but it was no use—she was soaking wet by the end of the three block walk. When they entered and saw the huge line that had formed, they both groaned and joined in behind the last person.

"So, I forgot to tell you," he started, shaking the rain off his umbrella, "my parents scheduled a trip to come visit me."

"Really? When's the last time they visited?" she asked, turning to face him.

"When I was a freshman. That seems like ages ago," he replied, appearing thoughtful. "It was move-in day. My mom saw a rat on the subway tracks and hasn't come back since."

Jude chuckled, thinking about how one rodent could prevent his family from seeing him.

"Hey, don't laugh. When's the last time your family has visited you?" he replied, as they inched further up in line.

Jude thought for a moment and then replied, "Well, my dad was here last year, although it was on business. But I still met him for dinner. And my mom…well, she and Don haven't visited me."

"Not at all?" he questioned, slowly taking another step forward in line.

"Nope," she said, shaking her head. "She didn't support my decision to move here in the first place, so visiting me is an act of acceptance, which she would never do."

"So stubbornness runs in your family then?" he asked with a smirk.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, hitting his arm jokingly.

"Anyway," he continued, "my parents want you to come to dinner with us."

"Really?" she asked in surprise. Rob's parents, according to stories she had heard, were very conservative and uptight. She couldn't picture herself getting along with them at all. Rob always said that he liked Jude because she was the polar opposite of his family.

"Yeah, is that okay?" he asked considerately.

"Sure," she agreed with a grin. "I have no idea what to wear, but otherwise, it should be fine."

He laughed lightly at her. "Jude, you've got a few weeks. I'll let you know the details once my mom works everything out."

"Okay, sure," she said, looking at him. "Speaking of dinner, are we still on for tonight?"

"Ohhhh, I can't actually," he responded regrettably.

"Hot date?" she asked with a grin.

"Yeah—me and the librarian."

"Stop—you're making me jealous," she smirked, taking another step forward.

"I have another mid-term tomorrow, so I need to study," he explained. "I'm sorry. Raincheck though?"

"Sure," she agreed, finally seeing the cash register just steps ahead of her. "I probably should do some work myself. I need to write that article by Friday, and since it's my first interview, I want to make it perfect."

"Good old Jude Harrison, master perfectionist," he uttered with a grin. As the words left his mouth, she had a sudden flashback to her studio days and a certain perfectionist who would've easily taken that title…

He saw her reflective gaze and gently nudged her as the cashier called out for her to approach the counter. She quickly shook her head to get rid of the memory, and focused her attention back on the coffee.

As they finished ordering and awaited the arrival of their drinks, she kept glancing down at her watch, the stress mounting.

"How long do you have?" he asked, watching her start to fidget.

"Fifteen minutes," she replied anxiously, tapping her fingers on the counter and watching the woman pour the frothed milk into a cup.

"Skim mocha with—"

"That's mine!" Jude shouted, grabbing her cup from the woman's hands.

Rob retrieved his drink as well and they backed up to let the next customers in. She hurriedly made her way over to the small counter by the door, hastily dumping two packets of sugar into the cup. She quickly fiddled with the lid to get it back on and dashed towards the door.

After making her way through all of the people, Jude finally reached the doorway and frantically swung the door open. Not paying attention, she started to rush out the door but instantly stopped the second she felt a woman bump right into her. Jude gasped as she saw the lid on her coffee cup fall off as hot coffee spilled out all over the woman.

"Ahhh! Hot coffee!" the woman started shrieking. The whole store grew quiet at the sound of the woman's voice as she started throwing her hands up in the air.

Jude looked up at the woman in horror as the lid from her drink rolled on the ground. At least half her cup of coffee was all over the woman's cream colored coat.

"Oh my god, I am so—sorry," Jude said, immediately feeling horrible at the stain that was all over her coat.

"Do you know how much this coat cost me? It's real cashmere!" the woman yelled at Jude, who had retreated back into the store.

Instinctively, Jude turned around and grabbed a handful of napkins from the side counter and handed them to the hysterical woman. "I'm really sorry, it was an accident," Jude said, taking a few more napkins and attempting to clean the coat herself.

"And I could be permanently burnt! Do you know how hot this coffee is?" the woman complained, taking her coat off. As she started removing the coat, she went to hand her umbrella to the man who was with her. But the man wasn't paying attention and accidentally let the umbrella drop to the ground.

Hearing the umbrella hit the floor made Jude look up from cleaning the coat to see the man she was with. He was staring back at her with wide piercing blue eyes and jaw slightly agape. She looked into his eyes and stopped cleaning the woman's coat, her own jaw immediately dropping open.

"Oh my god…" Jude muttered, taking a small step backwards, bumping into Rob. He saw her shocked reaction and quickly looked up to follow her gaze. The man standing before her wore an identical expression.

The woman, who was still trying to clean her coat and muttering obscenities under her breath, looked up between the two, seeing their mirrored looks.

"Do you two know each other or something?" she asked coarsely.

Neither spoke a word, just continued staring at each other.

The woman huffed at their lack of response and gently pushed the man to get him to speak. "Hello? Didn't you hear me?"

"Wh-what?" he asked, snapping back to reality but keeping his eyes focused on Jude.

"I asked if you two know each other or something," the woman repeated. "You know, this girl, who spilled coffee all over my $800 coat…"

He silently nodded, his attention clearly not on the woman's question. Rob looked in confusion at Jude, whose body had frozen in shock from the sight before her. "Jude?" he asked, trying to get her to respond.

The woman became irritated by the lack of communication and abruptly held her hand out in front of Jude. "Hi, I'm Jessica, and you are?"

"I'm…umm…J-Jude," she stammered, swallowing hard to relieve the tension and disorientation that had engulfed her whole system. "Sorry, it's Jude," she repeated, shaking the woman's hand.

"Jude, it's nice to meet you and your coffee," Jessica muttered, continuing to brush her coat to get the coffee out.

"And…this is…R-Rob," Jude managed to get out, her eyes never leaving the man's. "Rob, this is…this is…"

"Tom," the man finished, leaning forward to shake Rob's hand.

"Tommy," Jude muttered quietly, watching them shake hands.

The four of them stood in silence, all looking at each other in mystery, Jude and Tommy's faces both completely stunned by each others' presence.


	3. Chapter 3

_a/n: Wow! I'm totally overwhelmed by the number of reviews on the first two chapters! Thank you all so much! Hopefully, you'll continue to be happy with the story... :-)_

* * *

"So this is awkward," Jessica stated bluntly, looking at Tommy's stark expression and eyes focused solely on Jude. "How do you two know each other?" 

Tommy and Jude both shifted uncomfortably, unsure of how to answer her question. Tommy started, "Umm…we uh, used to work together."

"Right," Jude agreed quietly. "In Toronto. At the studio."

"Oh," Jessica replied, still blotting the coffee stain out of her jacket. "Was she an intern or something, Tom?"

"No," he replied quickly, his glance still set on Jude, but softening to reveal warmth instead of surprise. "She was one of my artists."

Jude nodded in agreement, turning her eyes away from Tommy to her feet below. She had dreamt of this moment happening—running into Tommy someday, seeing him up close again—but now that it was actually happening, the only thing she wanted to do was disappear.

"So," Rob started, looking between Tommy and Jessica, "are you two dating?"

"Engaged, actually," Jessica replied with a grin, holding up her hand to show them the large rock on her finger. Jude looked at it and abruptly felt as if she was going to be sick.

"And you two?" Jessica asked.

"Dating. For a year," Rob replied proudly, watching as Jude's gaze met Tommy's once more. "Jude? Shouldn't we get going?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I have to go," she responded quickly, her mind drifting back to reality and being late for work. "I'm sorry again about your coat. It was totally my fault, I wasn't paying attention."

"Clearly," Jessica agreed with a smirk.

"I can pay the dry cleaning bill if you want," Jude offered, feeling self-conscious as she sensed Tommy's eyes still on her.

"It's fine, I'll take care of it," Jessica replied. "I don't trust this coat in anyone else's hands."

"Okay," Jude said quietly. "I really am sorry."

"Let's just get our coffee, Tom. I have to go back to the apartment and change now," Jessica said, stepping forward and walking to the end of the line. She turned around as she realized he hadn't followed. "Are you coming?"

"Umm…yeah…." he replied vaguely, slowly starting to move towards the back of the line. "It was good to see you, Jude," he said quietly as he walked past her.

"You too," she replied softly, giving him a timid smile. He continued to walk towards Jessica but his eyes remained on Jude, until he reached the end of the line and turned back around to listen to Jessica rant about her coat.

Jude stood there for a few moments, just watching him in disbelief. Was that really him? After all this time?

Rob gently nudged her. "Earth to Jude…" he whispered into her ear. "We have to go."

"What? Oh, right, let's go," she replied, turning back around towards the door. As they made their way through the exit and into the rain, she turned around one last time. She met Tommy's gaze with a small grin before leaving the store.

---------------

"No, Sadie, I swear it was him," Jude said, recalling her eventful morning. She was lying down on her bed later that night with the phone at her ear. "It was like a total Twin Peaks experience."

"Have you even seen Twin Peaks, Jude?" Sadie questioned on the other end of the line.

"No," Jude said, sitting up, "but it was totally surreal. Like I was imagining the whole thing, but I wasn't."

"What did he look like?" Sadie asked.

"The same," Jude said with a sigh. "Same blue eyes, same perfect hair…he just looks a little older."

"Good older or wrinkly older?" Sadie asked.

Jude laughed lightly. "Good older."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Anyway, he was there with his fiancée, who was the one I spilled the coffee all over."

"His fiancée?" Sadie asked in disbelief. "Wow, never thought I'd see the day."

"I know," Jude agreed, standing up from her bed to stretch.

"What was she like?"

"It was hard to tell since she automatically hated me. You know, since I spilled my mocha all over her $800 coat."

"Yeah, I'd hate you for that too," Sadie agreed.

"It was the most bizarre experience. We literally stood there for at least 2 minutes just staring at each other. It was like the world stopped and we were the only two people there."

"Wow, that's so West Side Story," Sadie remarked as her sister laughed. "So, how did you leave things? Did you exchange numbers?"

"Nope. We just left."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I was running late and he was being pulled away by his fiancée, so I left. And that was it."

"Jude," Sadie started with a sigh, "you haven't seen the guy in five years and you don't even exchange numbers? What if you don't see him again for another five years?"

"So? It's not like I was overjoyed to see him. Don't you remember _why_ it's been five years since I've seen or heard from him?" Jude questioned, bitterness evident in her voice.

"Oh come on, Jude," Sadie replied. "It was five years ago."

"And? What he did…the way he left…"

"I know," Sadie said comfortingly, "but you could've at least gotten his email address. It's been long enough."

"Sorry, Sades. I guess it's just not meant to be," Jude said.

Sadie sighed on the other end. "You're hopeless."

"Thanks," Jude replied sarcastically. "Anyway, how's Kwest?"

"Good," Sadie replied. "We're picking out our china pattern tomorrow."

"Ooo, thrilling," Jude said with a smirk.

"It's fun to register for wedding gifts, Jude, you'll see," Sadie countered. "It's like a shopping spree on your closest friends and family."

"Yeah, a shopping spree for china and bread makers? No thanks," Jude snorted.

"Someday, you will be getting married and you'll love it too," Sadie said knowingly.

"Okay…do you think they'll still have china in another 50 years when I get married?" Jude asked.

"Very funny," Sadie said. "I have to run. Kwest just got home—I have to show him the invitations."

"Okay, goodnight Sades," Jude replied.

"Night."

At that, Jude hung up the phone and got ready for bed. A few minutes later, she turned off the light and climbed into bed. She closed her eyes but couldn't sleep. She kept thinking about Tommy. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get his image out of her head. She had managed to go for five years with barely mentioning his name and then all of a sudden, there he was. Standing in front of her, with those eyes that still made her heart skip a beat.

She tossed and turned, finally glancing at her clock to read 1:28am. She huffed and quickly got out of bed, putting on sweats, grabbing her keys and taking off.

Walking around the city late at night wasn't something her mother approved of, but she couldn't love any time of day more than after hours. The streets were quiet, the air thick from the rain that had just stopped falling. She wandered aimlessly around the streets of the West Village, not knowing where she was going, but determined to work out all of the voices inside her head.

She thought about Rob's questions after they had left Starbucks, all about Tommy. She kept things vague, indicating that they had worked together and had been friends. She couldn't help but feel guilty—she loved Rob but why was she afraid to be honest with him about this? She was able to open up to him about almost everything else, but why was Tommy still a vaulted topic?

Walking block after block, she was brought back to the first few days after Tommy had disappeared and the anguish she had gone through. She had cried herself to sleep and had thrown herself into songwriting to ease her pain. But the pain only subsided over time and even now, five years later, she hated to admit that it still hurt.

Glancing down at her watch, she saw the time: 2:36am. Although she wasn't tired and now faced more questions than she had started with, she decided that it was too late to keep going, so she started to head back. Stopping at an intersection a block away from her apartment, she took a deep breath, inhaling the cool, damp air of the city. She scanned the area slowly, pausing for a moment to glance at the figures waiting on the opposite side of the street for the light to change.

As she waited, her eyes landed on one figure in particular standing across the street. She squinted her eyes to see more clearly, as the body shape looked oddly familiar.

_It can't be,_ she thought.

The light turned and the people started to cross, but Jude remained glued to her corner. She watched as the figure stepped off the curb and walked towards her, his blue eyes focused on hers. A small grin appeared on his face as he crossed, while she sucked in a breath watching him come closer. He stepped onto the curb in front of her as they stood in silence, both rendered speechless at their encounter.

Out of the silence, they both went to speak at the same time, simultaneously saying quietly,

"Twice in one day."


	4. Chapter 4

They both let out a small laugh, looking at each other in surprise.

"Quincy," she said, acknowledging him standing before her.

"Harrison," he replied, shaking his head in the twist of fate that lead them both to the same street corner at 2:30 in the morning.

"You stalking me or something?" she asked with a grin.

"Oh yes, after five years, I suddenly decided to track your every move," he replied with a smirk. They stood in silence for another couple of moments, still stunned by their offbeat encounter.

"So…" Jude started, not knowing where to begin.

"So…" Tommy repeated, also sensing the unease with the situation. He sighed and looked at her fidgeting with the edge of her sweatshirt uncomfortably. "Okay, this is weird, right?"

"Very weird," she agreed, releasing the breath that she had been holding.

"We haven't talked to each other in five years and then we see each other twice in one day. That's bizarre, right?" he questioned.

"That's beyond bizarre. It's…it's…" _Fate,_ she couldn't help but think, "It's a fluke."

"Definitely," he agreed. "So, where are you heading?"

"Home, actually," she replied. "I've been walking for about an hour, so I figured it was time to head back."

"Where's home?" he asked curiously.

"Right over there," she pointed across the street to a mid-size building with a green awning.

"No way," he muttered quietly, following the path of her finger.

"What?" she asked, hearing his faint reaction. "What is it?"

He turned back around and looked at her, his jaw slightly agape. "Well, I live over there…" he said quietly, pointing to the opposite corner on the next block.

Her jaw dropped looking at how close they lived. "Are you serious?"

"Totally serious. I've lived there for about two years now."

"Wow…" she said, totally in shock, glancing back and forth between the two locations. "You mean that we've been living one block from each other and only ran into each other today?"

"Looks like it," he responded distantly, dazed from all of the coincidences they were experiencing. "I think we're officially moving from bizarre to just plain shocking."

"Agreed," she said quietly.

"So…do you feel like maybe grabbing a cup of coffee?" he asked hesitantly.

"Now?" she responded, her reaction coming off a little sharper than she had intended.

"Well, if you're tired, we can do it another time," he said quickly. "I just thought since we keep bumping into each other, maybe we should actually sit down and catch up."

"No," she said promptly, still flustered but struggling to recover, "I mean—no, I'm not tired actually. I was just heading back because I thought I should…but coffee…yeah…that could be good." She gave him a small grin as full acceptance of his offer and they quietly started walking down the street towards the 24-hour diner.

"A writer? Really?" he asked in surprise.

"Yeah…I mean, it's more like journalism, not really creative writing. I interview bands and artists for monthly features in Mix Magazine."

"So no music? No recording or singing?" he asked, a trace of disappointment in his voice. "Nope," she said quietly, feeling slightly embarrassed by her response.

"Why? I mean, you're entitled to your decisions, but…when did you decide this?"

"Awhile ago actually," she replied hesitantly, sipping the hot coffee in her mug. "It just didn't feel right anymore."

"So your third album? That was your last?"

"Yep," she agreed, hiding her face behind the mug. "That was it. I don't think I've picked up a guitar in years."

He slumped back in the booth and scratched his head, trying to comprehend what she was saying.

"That's too bad…honestly, I always thought you'd continue breaking album records, performing in packed stadiums. I guess I never thought that it wouldn't be what you wanted," he uttered, seeing her troubled reaction.

"Things change," she mumbled with a shrug.

He faintly nodded, still trying to understand, but continued. "So, do you like working at Mix?"

"Yeah, it's okay, I guess," she said somewhat apathetically. "I majored in writing in college, so this job seemed like it would be a really good combination of music and writing."

He nodded in agreement. "I'm sure it is. I never would've pictured you in the corporate world."

"It's not really corporate," she replied a little defensively. "We're writers, we oppose structure."

"Right," he said with a grin.

"So what about you? What are you up to?" she asked optimistically, hoping to change the subject.

"Well, I'm doing some work for a friend over at Innovations Records," he answered.

"Still producing?"

"Still producing," he confirmed. "Although it's not quite the same as it used to be. No one knows who I am here, which has actually become a good thing. No preconceived notions about me or what kind of music I'm into."

"Yeah, I understand that," Jude muttered softly in response, sipping her coffee again.

He sat back in the booth again and stared at her for a brief moment, deeply sighing. The conversation grew quiet as she looked up at him and felt the intensity of his stare.

"What?" she asked, scrutinizing his expression.

"Nothing," he said quietly. "I just…this is all so strange…seeing you twice in one day after five years of not seeing you at all."

"I know," she agreed.

He leaned forward, resting his weight against the table between them, and looked into her eyes.

"Jude? I have to know…what happened to make you stop singing?"

She felt herself immediately blush as she scooted further back on the seat, looking away from his gaze. "I told you, it just didn't feel right."

"But why? The Jude Harrison I know would never have given up music. Music and singing were her life."

"Well, I've grown up, Tommy," she said shortly, looking him right in the eye. "A lot has changed over the last five years."

"I know," he began, staring up at the ceiling, "But to lose interest in the music? That just doesn't make sense."

"Tommy…" she started, trying to stop him from asking any more questions.

"You lived and breathed making music. I just can't believe that you could just give it all up—"

"Tommy—" she tried again to cut him off.

"Where did that fire go? That passion when you created a song? How could you just—"

"It's gone, Tommy! That passion, that love of music, it's gone. It left when you did!" she shouted, as he stared at her in disbelief. She suddenly realized that her voice had echoed throughout the restaurant and the few other patrons had turned to look at her. She slumped down into the booth and shielded her face with her hands. Softly, she murmured, "I lost my inspiration."

_

* * *

__A/N: This chapter is a little shorter than the others, but if you like it, then I'll post the next one really quickly (like hopefully tomorrow, as long as I'm home). Thanks for the reviews!_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: And here's the second half of the chapter from yesterday (in case you missed it, you may want to go back and read Chapter 4 before proceeding). Thanks again, all of you faithful reviewers!_

--------------

Tommy's eyes immediately changed from confusion to clarity, putting the pieces together of why she wasn't singing anymore. His expression softened as he leaned back, looking down at his feet under the table, contemplating the impact of her words.

"Jude…" he started quietly.

"No, it's fine," she said quickly, not letting him finish. "It's been five years, I'm over it."

He looked up at her skeptically. "You're over it?"

"Yes," she said confidently. "I'm fine without the music. Happy, in fact. Happy and over it."

He sighed and looked down at the table. "Well, I'm glad you're over it…because I'm not."

"What?" she asked, as though she didn't hear him correctly.

He looked up at her, his blue eyes intensified by the light above the booth. "I'm not over it."

She looked questioningly into his eyes, not understanding where he was going. He took a deep breath and began, "I know I owe you an explanation."

"You don't have to," she countered quietly.

"No, I want to. Leaving five years ago was the hardest decision I've ever made. I didn't want to sacrifice my friends, my job…but it killed me to know what I had done to you. I thought about you every day. Hell, I still think about you every day. Wondering what you're up to, where you are, if you're happy…and I hear your voice in my head. Yelling after me when I got in that car."

She turned away from his gaze, feeling a lump form in her throat and the back of her eyes burn at the memory.

He continued, "There is no way I will ever forgive myself for leaving you the way I did. You were everything to me and I threw it all away."

"But why?" she asked softly, returning her tear-glazed eyes to his. "Why did you leave?"

"I had to. It wasn't something I would ever choose, believe me, but well…there were some issues that I had to deal with."

"Like what?" she asked, now feeling like she needed more of an explanation.

"Well, for one, my sister passed away."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Jude replied promptly.

"Thanks. It was pretty sudden—a drunk driver. She passed away and wasn't on speaking terms with her ex-husband, so I ended up caring for her daughter."

"Daughter?" Jude said with surprise.

"Yeah, a little girl—Anna. She was two at the time, although now she's a full-grown seven year-old, living with her father, who we managed to track down."

"So…that's why you left? To care for her daughter?" Jude questioned.

"Basically. Jude, my father was really involved in politics in Quebec and the thought of his daughter having a child out of wedlock was a huge misdemeanor in our family. He felt that it tainted the family name, so he threw her out of the house when she was 6 months pregnant."

"Seriously? That's terrible."

"I know. She had no choice but to marry her boyfriend at the time, Anna's father, but that quickly ended. I helped her when I could, but when she died, my dad pressured me to take care of his little 'problem,' being Anna. So I stepped in for two years until we released her to her father's custody."

"Wow…" Jude said, taking it all in. "And after that?"

"Well, after that, I didn't really know where to go or what to do, so I traveled a lot—Asia, Africa, Europe. It was great but I needed a fresh start, so I ended up here."

Jude nodded in understanding but her expression still showed confusion. "Okay…but I still don't understand. You didn't call or respond to emails. It was like you had fallen off the face of the earth."

"I know," he admitted, looking away from her eyes. "After Anna was back with her father, I thought about coming back. About picking up the phone and calling…but I couldn't bring myself to do it. After everything I had put you through, I truly believed that you were better off without me. I guess I still feel that way..."

She watched as he turned away from her. She saw a mix of regret and sadness in his eyes, genuine pain behind his words. She couldn't help but feel bad for him, observing how the consequences of his actions still haunted him.

"It's okay," she said, moving her hand on top of the table to rest gently over his. She felt the immediate spark at their contact. She could tell it affected him as well, as he abruptly sat up straighter at her touch.

She continued, leaving her hand there. "What you did, it was terrible, not just for me, but for everybody. And on some level, I don't know if I can ever forgive you for making me feel that way and putting me through all of that…but I know you didn't mean to hurt me. I think, deep down, I always knew that—that none of this was intentional."

"It wasn't," he agreed, staring earnestly into her eyes. "I swear, Jude, I never wanted to leave. I fought my dad's attorney the whole way—I couldn't handle the thought of not being there with everyone. Not being there with you…"

She blushed and hastily removed her hands from his. "You missed a lot, Quincy."

"I know," he said quietly. "I know I can't go back—I can't change the mistakes I've made. But I'm thinking that maybe running into each other twice in one day wasn't just a coincidence."

"Really?" she asked, trying to sound surprised, but secretly feeling the same way herself.

"Yeah—the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that it's like…fate or something. I know it sounds ridiculous, but maybe this is my chance to mend some of the pain I've caused you. I know I can't take away everything, but I'd like to try…if you'll let me…"

She sat in silence considering his words. The memories of his actions still ached, bringing tears to her eyes. Though she was hesitant to let him back into her life, she heard her sister's voice in her head yelling at her to move on. It had been five years and she could tell that his words were sincere and he genuinely wanted to make things up to her.

She sighed deeply and swallowed back her tears. "Okay."

"Okay?" he asked in surprise, his eyebrows raised.

"Okay," she repeated, more confidently. "I can't believe I'm going to do this, but let's just…start over."

"Seriously?" he asked, still in disbelief.

"Yes, seriously," she confirmed. "That doesn't mean I can forget how you hurt me or how deeply it affected me, because it did. And I can't just trust you again like I used to, that may take some time, but I'm willing to try."

"Wow…" he mumbled, impressed at her response. "You really aren't 15 anymore."

She chuckled lightly. "That makes me feel old."

"You? Hey, I'm close to thirty," he replied with a grin.

"Yeah, but you always were old. It's new to me," she said with a smile.

"Thanks," he responded sarcastically.

They looked at each other quietly, briefly sharing a sense of comfort that their relationship used to have.

She cleared her throat, making the moment disappear, and softly added, "I'm willing to start fresh with you on one condition."

"Which is?"

"If you promise not to push me about leaving the music industry. We've both made decisions—this is mine. And I'd appreciate it if you respect my choice and not pester me about it. Deal?"

He thought for a second, pursing his lips together and scratching his head. "You drive a hard bargain, Harrison…but okay. It's a deal," he agreed, leaning forward and shaking her hand.

----------------

Around 5:00am, they left the diner and started to head back to the corner where they had met. Jude was telling him about Sadie and Kwest's on-again/off-again relationship that had developed into an engagement, as they came to a halt on the edge of the sidewalk.

"So when's the wedding?" he asked curiously.

"Two months. Sadie wanted a spring wedding and Kwest has learned not to argue with her when she gets an idea into her head."

He laughed lightly, thinking about his friend always having a thing for Sadie.

"You should call him," Jude said quietly, noting his enthusiasm when Kwest was mentioned. "I'm sure he'd love to hear from you."

"You think?" Tommy asked uncertainly. "I just feel like…if I start reaching out to people again, they're not going to be happy to hear from me."

"Maybe," Jude agreed, "but Kwest is different. He's not going to hold a grudge."

"I guess," Tommy replied tentatively.

"Besides," Jude added with a grin, "I already told Sadie that I ran into you earlier today so now you have to call him."

He smiled and shook his head. "Okay, okay. I'll call him tomorrow."

They stood at the corner, glancing up at the brightening sky as the sun was about to come up.

"Well, I have to get up and go to work in a couple of hours, so I should probably get going," Jude said softly.

"Yeah, me too," he agreed. "I'm glad we ran into each other again."

"Me too," she said, looking into his eyes.

"Do you think…maybe, we can…meet up on this corner again tomorrow?" he asked tentatively.

She thought for a second. "That depends. Do you mean tomorrow, as in today, or tomorrow, as in tomorrow?"

He sniggered at her question. "Tomorrow, as in later today. Maybe after work? Like 6:30ish?"

She thought for a moment, then nodded. "Sure, 6:30 it is. I'll see you then."

He watched as she turned and walked back towards her apartment. They both smiled to themselves, instinctively feeling a sense of exhilaration knowing that they were back in each other's lives.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Just a quick note before we begin…this might be self-explanatory and it will definitely be covered in this next post, but even though Jude accepted Tommy's apology, they're starting over again purely as friends. He is engaged (which you'll read more about in later chapters) and she's seriously dating Rob. Neither one is interested in anything more than just being friends (at least for now :) ). _

**This chapter skips forward a couple of weeks…**

--------------------------------------

"How many times exactly have you two hung out?" Sadie asked.

Jude took a minute and counted in her head. "Seven. Eight, if you count the first coffee at the diner. Oh wait, nine if you count that CD exchange outside my apartment…"

"Jude, it's been two weeks."

"And?"

"Well, two weeks has fourteen days. So if you saw Tommy nine out of fourteen of those days, that seems like an awful lot."

"Yeah, so? I used to see him everyday. Besides, you were the one who told me to move on from the last five years, so that's what I'm doing," Jude explained, setting the phone on her shoulder and rummaging through her dresser drawers.

"And what exactly does this 'hanging out' with him entail?" Sadie questioned curiously.

"It's basically anything from seeing a movie to running errands…yesterday, he had to walk his friend's dog since his friend was out of town…"

"And you had to go with him for that?"

"I didn't have to, but it was kind of fun. His friend has this huge apartment. You should see it, Sades. It's a duplex basically covering the whole side of a building. And the dog was so cute….it was a pug named Buster. Maybe I should get a dog…"

"Jude, let's concentrate on the boys first and then we can discuss dogs. So he just calls you and you meet up?"

"Yeah, basically. For the first couple of days after we ran into each other, it was a little more structured—like we'd pick a time and place to meet. But now, we're just calling each other at the spur of a moment to hang out."

"And Rob doesn't mind? I mean, if you're seeing Tommy almost every other night, how are you fitting in time to see your boyfriend?" Sadie questioned.

"Rob's been really busy lately. He's been studying for mid-terms, which is part of the reason why I've been spending time with Tommy. I tell him where I'm going and with who. He trusts me."

"But does he actually know about your history with Tommy? Have you told him about your relationship before Tommy left Toronto?" Sadie asked skeptically.

"Sadie, do I need to remind you that Tommy is engaged? Engaged. We're just friends so there's no reason to justify anything to Rob."

"So," Sadie started knowingly, "you haven't told him."

"There's nothing to tell," Jude defended, picking out a black sweater from her drawer. "Besides, I'd hardly call whatever it was that Tommy and I had a relationship."

"It was well on its way and you know it," Sadie contested. "Jude, the guy was crazy about you. He had a major thing for you and you had an even bigger thing for him."

"So? That's all in the past. He's engaged and I'm in a serious committed relationship now."

"Right…so how is that fiancée of his doing?"

"Fine, I guess," Jude replied, steadying the phone on her shoulder to hold the sweater up to her reflection in the mirror. "He doesn't really talk much about her or the wedding."

"And you don't ask?" Sadie asked in surprise.

"Why should I? If he doesn't feel like disclosing all of the juicy details of his love life, then I'm not going to push it."

"Come on…you're not a tad bit curious? When they got engaged, how long they've been together—you're not tempted to ask him any of that?"

"Not really," Jude said indifferently. "I'm not going to push him to talk about it if he doesn't want to."

"Okay…" Sadie said skeptically. "Well then, how do you think she feels about him spending so much time with this mystery girl from his past?"

"What is this, twenty questions?" Jude asked irritably.

"Just answer the question, Jude," Sadie insisted.

Jude sighed deeply and sat down on the edge of her bed. "I don't know. I'm sure she's fine with it. She should trust him too."

"Has he told her anything more about you other than the fact that you used to work together?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't asked. It's their personal business, Sadie, I'm not going to pry."

Sadie sighed on the other end of the line. "Jude, I seriously hope you know what you're doing."

"We're just hanging out—as friends. It's innocent, I promise," Jude said convincingly.

"Right. Once again, you're hopeless as a sister." Sadie replied.

"Have I reminded you how supportive you always are of me?" Jude asked, leaning back on her bed.

"That is my job," Sadie responded with a smirk.

"I have to go, Sades. I'm meeting Rob for dinner in a few minutes," Jude said, sitting up and looking at the sweater she chose.

"Ohh, so you _are_ managing to squeeze in some time for your boyfriend," Sadie commented, sounding surprised.

"Very funny, Sadie. Good night," Jude said before hearing her sister return the exchange and hang up.

---------------

Jude sat across from Rob at the dimly lit table, smiling at being in his presence once again.

"Why do you look so happy?" he asked with a grin.

"It's good to see you. I've missed you," she replied, leaning across the table to kiss his cheek.

"Thanks," he said, seeing her sit back down. "How's your week been going?"

"Good," she responded, picking up the menu and scanning it. "Work's been busy, but good. My article on The Heat was a success. My editor loved it."

"That's great, Jude," he replied.

"How about you? How are exams going?"

"Pretty well. I've finished three so far and only have one to go."

"That's great," she replied enthusiastically.

"Yeah, I'll be really happy when they're done. Then I can see my girl again," he said with a smile, grabbing her hand from across the table. She smiled and looked into his green eyes, happy and at ease to be there with him.

"I know, I've missed seeing you," she said softly, gazing warmly into his eyes.

"I'll be done next Tuesday, so I suggest a major celebration that night. What do you say?" he asked hopefully.

"Tuesday…" she started, contemplating how to phrase what she was thinking, "I actually might have plans on Tuesday."

"Plans? What plans?" he asked.

"Well, I kind of told my friend I would go to this thing in the park…," she said, suddenly feeling guilt creep up on her. "But you know, it's not important. I can just go another night."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah, totally. I'll just call him and postpone. No big deal," she said casually, picking up her menu again.

"Him? As in, Tom?" he questioned, a bit of an edge to his voice.

She looked up at him slowly. "Yes, my plans were with Tom. Why? Does it matter?"

"No," he said quickly, looking back at his menu. "I just didn't realize you two made plans."

She saw the distress in his eyes and sighed, wanting to make him understand. She reached out and took his hand away from his menu. "It's nothing, Rob. He just wanted someone to go to this music festival in the park and his fiancée wouldn't go, so I agreed. But you're more important. I'd rather spend the time with _you._"

Satisfied with her response, he grinned at her and said, "Okay. Sorry if I overreacted. I just miss hanging out with you."

"I miss it too. So we'll just have to make up our lost time then," she replied with a smile. "But first, can we order? I'm starving."

"When are you not?" he mumbled with a grin while she shot him a menacing look. Glancing back at her menu, she couldn't help but smile to herself, feeling as though her life couldn't get better than it was at that exact moment.


	7. Chapter 7

Jude sat at the table in the sushi restaurant, eyeing a piece of Tommy's spicy tuna roll.

"Just take it. I can't eat with you drooling on my food," he said pleadingly, as her eyes lit up and she reached over to snatch the piece of sushi with her chopsticks.

"Tank u," she said, through a mouthful of rice and fish.

"You're welcome," he replied with a grin.

She looked around the restaurant and saw a few other people scattered around the room. It was a warm Sunday afternoon and he had had a sudden craving for sushi, a craving he knew she would appreciate.

"So, what did you do last night?" she asked casually, dipping a piece of her eel roll into the soy sauce.

He finished chewing and replied, "I went to a housewarming party. Some friend of Jessica's."

"Was it fun?"

"It was okay…it was kind of a stuffy crowd. Not exactly my idea of fun," he replied.

"Well, did Jessica have fun? Since it was for her friend?"

"I guess…she's not really that close with the girl anyway. I think she feels like since her friend came to our housewarming, we have to go to hers."

"Ahhh, the joys of friendship…" Jude said with a grin.

"Exactly," he agreed. "Anyway, what did you do? Hang out with stuffy people too?"

"Sort of. Rob's parents were in town so I went out to dinner with them."

"Ooo…meeting the parents…how did it go?" Tommy asked curiously.

"Not bad actually. I thought it would be much worse, but we got along pretty well. And I think Rob was relieved that things went smoothly."

"That's great. Has he met your parents?"

"Nope, but he will at Sadie's wedding."

"Wow. Well I wish him lots of luck there. I've met your family, Jude, and they're not exactly a walk in the park," Tommy said with a grin.

"Hey!" she said, feigning offense. "They're not that bad…" she defended, looking at his knowing expression. "Okay, so maybe they are. But I'll prep him ahead of time."

"Good. Did you do anything else?"

"Well, after dinner, Rob and I went to the Upper West Side for one of his friend's birthdays."

"You know, I never go up there, but I've heard there are some great places to hang out," Tommy replied, setting his chop sticks down.

"I'm never up there either. Since Rob goes to Columbia, he's always there so he knows the best spots."

"That's a perk," Tommy remarked. "Having a significant other who knows different areas around the city."

"Absolutely. Does Jessica know other neighborhoods?"

"She knows the Upper East Side. She actually grew up there."

"Really?" Jude asked in surprise.

"Yeah, she's a city girl for life. Are you surprised to hear that?" he asked, noting her reaction.

"Kind of…I just…can't imagine growing up in the city," Jude said, putting her chopsticks down. "I loved having a backyard and playing games in the street between my house and Jamie's. It's just different, I guess."

"Yeah, I agree. But she wants to raise her kids here too."

"Which, I would assume, would be your kids as well?" Jude asked as a subtle reminder to him.

"It certainly looks that way…" he replied quietly, leaning back in his chair.

"So you're cool with that? Raising kids in the city?" Jude questioned, seeing his hesitation.

"I guess so. If that's what she wants, then I guess it's fine," he responded vaguely.

Jude nodded silently, thinking about his mixed answer. "Speaking of Jessica, how's her coat?" she asked with a smile, attempting to shift the topic slightly.

He laughed lightly. "Fine actually. She took it to a dry cleaner and got all of the coffee out."

"Good. I was worried about it, you know," Jude said with a grin, taking another bite of her sushi.

"Yeah…the coat is fine…Jessica, on the other hand, is a little peeved with me…" he started, rubbing his temples.

"Why? What did you do?" Jude asked, wide-eyed.

"She feels like I haven't been around at all lately, like I'm not spending enough time with her."

Jude thought for a moment and then asked quietly, "Is she right?"

"Kind of. But I've been swamped at work lately—I've got four artists all with albums due over the next two months, so I just don't have a lot of the free time I used to have."

"And whatever free time you do have, are you spending a lot of it with her?" Jude asked slowly, knowing the answer.

He looked at her with raised brows. "What do you think?"

She sighed and leaned back in her chair. "So maybe you should be. Maybe you should be here with her instead of with me."

"Jude, she hates sushi."

"She hates sushi? Who is this woman and what planet is she from?" Jude asked in shock.

He laughed at her reaction. "Not everyone loves sushi like you do."

"Impossible," Jude scoffed, shoving her last piece of fish into her mouth with a grin.

"Anyway," he continued, "I think she's just not used to me hanging out with someone else. It was always the two of us spending time alone or with another couple."

"But you have friends, don't you? I mean, besides me," Jude said, half-jokingly.

"Of course, but I don't see them every day. Maybe once a week or whenever we have time. She's not used to me spending a lot of that time in between with someone besides her."

"And let me guess," Jude started, sitting back in her chair, "she's really not happy because that someone is a female."

Tommy looked down and silently nodded.

Jude continued hesitantly, "So maybe we shouldn't be hanging out as much."

He looked up at her immediately in concern. "That's not what I was saying."

"Well, I don't want your fiancée to be mad because you're spending more time with me than with her…"

"But there are a lot of things she doesn't understand the way you do," he countered. "Like the movie you and I saw two nights ago—that indie film—it wasn't a chick flick so she would've hated it. She would've made me see 'The Breakup' or something…"

"I liked 'The Breakup…'" Jude mumbled softly.

He ignored her comment and proceeded. "It's just—we're different and we have different interests. And I don't think there's anything wrong with not spending every waking minute together. Being engaged doesn't mean you lose your own identity, right?" Tommy questioned heatedly, getting riled up.

"Whoa, tiger," Jude said, trying to get him to calm down and come back down to Earth. "Nobody said you have to spend every waking minute together or that you have to sacrifice everything you like because you're engaged. I just think that maybe you could balance it a little better."

"Balance…" he repeated, mulling over the concept. "Like how?"

"Like…I don't know…taking time out to do something you both like. Or…ummm…." Jude said, biting her lip to come up with some good idea. Suddenly, her eyes widened. "I've got it. We should double date."

"Double date?" he questioned uncertainly.

"Yes. You said yourself that she's used to going out with other couples. Well, I'm part of another couple. And it could be good for all of us to hang out. Maybe instead of it just being the two of us, it could be the four of us from now on," she said hopefully.

"Really? You think that'll work?" he asked, still not totally convinced.

"I do," she replied confidently. "Listen, Rob's not thrilled whenever I ask you to do something instead of him, so maybe if you guys could get to know each other better, you can become friends. And then he'll realize it's really not that big of a deal. And the same for me and Jessica. What do you think?"

He sighed and thought about it for a few moments.

"Double date…hmm….okay. Why not?" he agreed.

"Great! We can go out this week. Thursday maybe?" she asked.

"Sure. We can go for dinner and see how it goes," he replied.

"Perfect," she said with a smile. Her mood instantly perked up at the thought of the four of them hanging out and becoming great friends.


	8. Chapter 8

Jude fidgeted with the seam on her jacket, waiting outside the restaurant next to Rob.

He looked over at her and asked, "Are you nervous?"

Jude glanced at him unsurely and replied, "Not really…"

"You sure about that? If you keep pulling on that piece of thread, your jacket is going to shrivel up."

She moved her hands down to her sides. "Okay, maybe I'm a little nervous…what if this was a bad idea?"

"Why would it be?" he questioned.

"Because…I don't know. What if Jessica still hates me because of the whole coffee incident?"

"Jude, that was weeks ago."

"I know, but she apparently still refers to me as 'The Coffee Girl.'"

"'The Coffee Girl?'" Rob repeated with a chuckle. "It could be worse, you could be 'The Burn Girl.'"

"Very funny," she responded.

"I've never seen you so tense. Just relax," he said soothingly, putting his arm around her. "We're all adults. I'm sure everything will be fine."

"Right," she agreed tentatively.

Just then, they both turned to see Tommy and Jessica arrive, both looking frazzled.

"Hey," Jude greeted them, stepping out of Rob's embrace.

"Sorry we're late," Tommy said. "We had a minor problem with the hot water at our apartment."

"What happened?" Rob asked.

"There was none," Jessica answered quickly. "And Mr. Fix-It wouldn't call the superintendent, so we still don't have any."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Jude offered sympathetically. "Well, maybe dinner will help get your mind off of it."

"Sure," Jessica replied flatly. Jude shot Rob a quick look of hesitation, not liking the beginning of their night, as they entered the restaurant.

-----------------

"So, how did you two meet?" Rob asked, trying to spark conversation.

"At a music event," Jessica answered. "I do Public Relations and one of my clients is a club that was hosting the event. Tommy was managing the band that performed."

"Which band?" Jude asked casually, taking a sip of her apple martini.

"Goldstar," he replied.

"No way," she replied disbelievingly. "I love them!"

"Seriously?" Tommy questioned. "You know who they are?"

"Know who they are? Before their album was released, I went on a frantic search for this bootleg recording of one of their shows. Remember?" she asked Rob, attempting to bring him into the conversation.

"Yeah, I remember," he replied with a grin. "You didn't get it though, did you?"

"Nope," she said disappointedly. "I saw a bunch of their shows around the city, but never got ahold of that CD."

"I have it, I'll give it to you," Tommy offered, happy that someone had actually heard of them.

"Really?" she asked, her eyes lit up.

"Yeah. One of their friends made that CD to send to record companies, which is how we found out about them."

"That is so cool…" she said, smiling at him across the table. She saw Jessica's aggravated expression so she backed off and cleared her throat. "Sorry to interrupt, you were saying?"

Jessica continued, "Well, Tommy was with the band, yelling at them—"

"Not yelling exactly," Tommy interjected, "Instructing."

"Instructing," Jessica repeated with a grin. "Instructing loudly."

They all chuckled as she went on. "Anyway, everyone heard him. So on behalf of the club owners, I went over to tell him to keep his voice down but he somehow managed to smooth talk his way into getting my number."

Jude smirked, knowing this was typical Tommy fashion, but Jessica ignored her and continued. "We went on our first date the next night and that was it. We just knew," she ended, looking at him warmly. Tommy smiled at her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Jude couldn't help but take a big gulp of her martini, hoping the story was over.

"And how did you two meet?" Jessica asked.

Rob started. "Through mutual friends at a party. But we didn't hit it off at first. See, one of Jude's friends had a thing for me but I didn't like her like that. So I tried to politely tell her that I wasn't interested when all of a sudden, her beautiful blonde friend walks in the door and completely distracted me."

"Being Jude?" Jessica asked to clarify.

"Right, that was Jude. She walks into the party and I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She had this great, contagious energy about her."

Jude blushed and looked down, feeling Tommy's gaze on her.

"But meanwhile, I'm trying to tell this girl that I don't like her and I completely lose my train of thought and end up saying, 'I don't want to be with you. Just accept it.'"

"Wow, that's harsh," Jessica said.

"I know. I didn't mean it but it just came out. So the girl gets upset and runs into the kitchen and Jude follows her. Ten minutes later, Jude comes marching up to me to say that I'm insensitive and selfish."

"And that you didn't deserve to be with my friend," Jude added.

"Right. So I apologized and told her that I didn't mean what I had said. I must've looked really pathetic because she accepted my apology and we ended up hanging out the rest of the night."

Jude smiled, remembering the scene. "You did have that whole pathetic thing going on, but I liked it."

"How sweet," Jessica muttered, as they turned back to see her yawn and Tommy guzzle the rest of his drink.

--------------------

An hour later, they had sat through numerous periods of silence, the awkwardness apparent to all of them.

"So what are you in school for?" Tommy asked Rob.

"Business," he replied.

"And what do you plan to do once you graduate?" Jessica asked.

"Real estate. Or financial planning. Or marketing. I'm not really sure," Rob said, turning a light shade of red at their expressions. "I'm keeping my options open."

"I see," Jessica remarked disdainfully.

Jude glanced across the table at Tommy, who shot her a concerned look.

"Did you always know you wanted to go into PR?" Jude asked Jessica.

"Of course. I knew I wanted to go into PR when I was seven."

"When you were seven?" Rob repeated with a chuckle. Jessica looked at him indignantly as he attempted to justify his reaction. "It's just…I didn't even know what PR was when I was seven."

"Well, I was extremely well-educated," Jessica replied, taking a bite of her salad.

Rob narrowed his eyes at Jessica and said, "I was well-educated too."

"Oh, I'm sure you were," Jessica said, "It's just different, I suppose."

Jude felt the need to step in, sensing tension mounting. "So, Jessica, Tommy tells me you're from the Upper East Side. Do you see your family much?"

"Of course, they're six subway stops away," she replied, taking a sip of her wine.

"How is it different?" Rob suddenly asked.

"What?" Jessica asked in confusion.

"How is it different? You said that being well-educated was different for you than it was for me? How so?"

Jude turned towards him with a pleading expression, begging him not to push. But Jessica sighed and replied, "I just meant that when your parents have the means, they can open your eyes to all kinds of career paths early in life."

"Have the means? As in, money?" Rob asked.

"Well, yes, that's part of it. And connections. My father knows everyone in PR, so I interned at one of the largest agencies when I was fifteen."

"And you're assuming that my parents don't have those same means?" Rob asked sharply.

"Well, I just meant—"

Jude cleared her throat to end their dispute, and quietly said to Tommy,

"Can I talk to you for a second outside?

He nodded silently and followed Jude out the door, leaving a distressed Rob alone with Jessica.

Once outside, Jude turned towards him, both of them sighing deeply.

"This dinner is starting to plummet really fast," she said.

"I know," he agreed.

"I really thought it would work, I'm sorry about all of this…"

"It's okay," he said. He waited a few seconds and then said, "I'm sorry about Jessica. She had a bad day at work today and came home in this mood. She's not normally like this."

"Yeah, well, Rob found out that he got a C on one of his mid-terms today, so he's been tense too," Jude added. "Looks like maybe we're not all meant to be friends."

"Definitely not," Tommy agreed.

"So, I say we call it even and end this before it gets worse. What do you think?"

"It's a deal," Tommy said.

They headed back in to find Rob and Jessica in a full argument.

"Are you seriously suggesting that the tax laws in this country are fair?"

"It's not that they're fair," Rob said, "It's that there have to be some limitations on what middle class citizens are taxed."

"And you think that the upper class should be responsible for everyone else?" she exclaimed.

"Okay, this sounds like a good time to pay our bill and take off," Tommy said, throwing money onto the table.

"I don't understand why you made me come here with The Coffee Girl and her ignorant boyfriend," Jessica mumbled, putting her coat on.

"Hey!" Jude cried.

"Can we please just go?" Tommy pleaded.

"Fine," Jessica huffed, putting her coat on.

"Rob, it was nice meeting you. Jude, I'll talk to you tomorrow," Tommy said.

Jessica strode off without another word, brushing irritably by Tommy on her way out. He rolled his eyes as she left, while Jude and Rob slowly stood up. Tommy started to walk out, briefly stopping to whisper to Jude, "If I don't make it back to my apartment alive, you can have my CD collection."

She chuckled lightly and felt him squeeze her hand as he left. She shivered at the chills that ran up her spine at his touch. Taking a deep breath, she turned back towards Rob who was watching her intently.

"What?" she asked him. He shook his head and silently threw money on the table with Tommy's, then walked out.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: Hi--I just had a couple of notes before this next post. First, thank you all so much for your responses so far. Especially the last chapter, I wasn't sure how people would react but it was fun to read through your posts. I promise, there's WAY more drama to come, this is just the beginning :-) _

_Also, I just wanted to make a quick point that Rob and Jude do not live together. It might seem like they do in some of the upcoming chapters, like this next one, but they just spend a lot of time together over each others' apartments._

_That's it. This chapter wraps up the last scene before we move on...ENJOY!_

_----------------------------------------------------------_

"You didn't have to flirt with him like that," Rob said, hanging his jacket in her closet.

"Flirt? What are you talking about Rob? The man was frustrated and I felt bad," Jude contested, taking her shoes off.

"Whatever…you just seemed…a little close when he left," Rob mumbled, walking into the bathroom.

"Please! We're friends! I'm allowed to comfort my friend!" she shouted as she heard him turn on the faucet. She walked towards the bathroom and stuck her head in as he was splashing his face with water.

"Besides, if you hadn't been so confrontational with Jessica, everything would've been fine," she stated flatly.

"What?" he questioned, wiping his face with a towel. "Jude, that woman seriously had it coming. Did you not see how condescending she was to me?"

"I did. I'm not saying she was right, but you totally pushed it with her. You could've just acted maturely and not argued with her."

"Well I'm sorry that I chose to stick up for myself, Jude," he spat. "You were so worried that she wouldn't like you, you didn't even care that she was patronizing me."

"I did care, Rob," she said firmly, as he walked by her and into her bedroom. "But excuse me for wanting to keep the peace!"

"Keep the peace? Since when do you keep the peace?" he questioned back.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Jude, I've never once been involved in or witnessed an argument where you held back. The Jude _I_ know is the first one to say what she thinks..." he started, his eyes blazing into hers.

"So you just expected me to be equally as confrontational as you were? Yell at my friend's fiancée because she picked on my boyfriend?" she questioned him. "Well, I'm sorry that I let you down. I'm sorry that I tried to not make the situation worse. I just wanted to have a nice quiet dinner!" she yelled, quieting down as her voice echoed throughout the apartment.

He groaned and sat down on the edge of her bed. She stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips and watched him.

"What is it about this guy that makes you act like this?" Rob directly asked, looking at her frazzled and tense appearance.

"Act like what?" she questioned defensively.

"Like this—Jude, you were nervous for days about this dinner and now you're all wound up because it didn't go well. Why do you care so much? Why was it so important to keep the peace?"

She sighed and collapsed on the chair in the corner. "I don't know…I just wanted you all to get along."

"Why?" he asked, turning towards her. "I don't get it. What am I missing here? Was there more going on between the two of you when you used to work together?"

She looked up at him in panic. "No…why would you think that?"

He scratched his head and thought aloud. "I don't know…it's just the way you acted around him…or how you put so much pressure on this dinner…it's like it meant so much to you…"

"Rob, it did mean a lot to me," she explained sincerely, looking into his eyes. "You're my boyfriend and he's one of my oldest friends."

"Just a friend?" Rob repeated just to make sure.

"Yes. He's always been just a friend, Rob, but he's one of my closest. Clearly, we all got off to a rocky start at Starbucks, but I just wanted to reverse the damage that was done."

"What damage?" he asked in confusion.

She looked at him closely. "Rob, every time I mention that I'm going somewhere with him, you get this look on your face like…like…like that!" she yelled, pointing at his pouty expression. He quickly changed his expression, noticing what she was referring to. "It clearly upsets you that I hang out with him, and I know she's far from thrilled with the time I'm spending with him. This dinner was supposed to help us hang out more as a group than one-on-one."

"Listen," he said calmly, getting off the bed to walk over towards her, sitting on the arm of her chair, "I know you were trying to do something good. And I appreciate the concern you had for me, but I think you need to accept that it's not going to happen."

She sighed and looked at him, tears threatening to fall. "I know, you're right. I just wanted you to like him. I don't care about her or how much she hates me…it's you that I want to be happy."

"I am happy," he said certainly, sliding down into the chair and wrapping his arm around her. "So I'm not thrilled that you're spending less time with me. Sue me. I just want to be able to see you as much as I can."

"I know, I want that too. And I don't want you to ever feel like I'd rather be somewhere else than with you. But the truth is, I do like hanging out with him. It's like this reminder of where I came from, of my family. I guess it's kind of comforting in a way," she attempted to explain. "But at the end of the day, I want to be with you. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know that," he said, pulling her in closer.

"The sad part is that I don't even think you really got to talk to Tommy," she said regrettably, resting her head against his shoulder.

"I didn't," he admitted. "But honestly, Jude, I can't think too highly of anyone who would want to get engaged to that woman."

"I swear he's nothing like her. Would I seriously be friends with someone like that?" she questioned, her head perked up to look at him incredulously.

He smirked. "I guess not. Although you and Jessica do share one major thing in common. Something you both love."

"What?" she asked, her voice ringing a bit of panic at the thought of who or what he was about to say.

He laughed at her concern, then said, "Coffee." She immediately relaxed and laughed with him, both enjoying the humor that broke up their argument.

"I'm sorry for getting all crazy on you," she said, looking into his eyes.

"I'm sorry I lost my cool. She just had this way about her—she was really irritating."

"I know…if it had just been me and her, I seriously would've punched her," she stated.

"Yeah? Now that, I would've liked to see," he said with a smile. "So we're cool?"

She grinned and nodded. "We're cool."

"Good. So no more double dates with Miss Stick-Up-Her-Butt?" he asked, just to make sure.

She laughed lightly and replied. "Right. As long as you don't mind having a few more dates with The Coffee Girl."

"Not at all," he responded with a smile, leaning in closer. "I love coffee, though not quite as much as the clumsy girl who spilled it."

She smiled back at him warmly, as he leaned in a little closer to capture her lips. She pressed her lips against his, wrapping her arms around his neck, and felt him lift her off the chair and onto the bed beside them.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: I'm going to try to make this quick since this chapter is long. First, thanks everybody for your reviews so far! As I've said before, I love this story so it's great to read your feedback on everything. _

_Second, after reading a few of your posts, I just wanted to point out that this whole story (or at least thru chap 15, which is where I am now) is told from Jude's POV. So we won't be cutting away to see how the post-dinner discussion went between Tommy and Jessica. But I'm sure you all have vivid imaginations :)_

_Third, the story moves along pretty quickly, so I don't want anyone getting lost. The last scene with the dinner is over and we're moving on again...I hope no one feels like there's no closure, but just trust me here. As you'll see, it gets very good very soon._

_Finally, I'm going away over the weekend but will be back to post one of my favorite chapters on Monday night, as long as you like this one. So stay tuned!_

**A couple of weeks later...**

_-------------------------------------------_

"Sadie, I'm going to email you my two dress options. Can you please help me choose?" Jude pleaded with her sister, seated at her computer holding the phone with one hand and clicking 'send' with her other.

"Sure," Sadie agreed. "Sounds like fun."

"Now, they're totally different options…I need your honest opinion about which one is more appropriate."

"Okay. Did you send it yet?" Sadie asked.

"Yeah, I sent it a minute ago. Did you get it?"

"Nope, not yet. While I'm waiting, remind me exactly what this dress is for," Sadie said.

"It's for Tommy and Jessica's engagement party."

"Engagement party? Didn't they get engaged a few months ago?"

"Yes, but apparently, her parents have been out of the country and just got back. So they're hosting this party at their country club uptown."

"Country club, eh? That doesn't exactly sound like Tommy's style," Sadie said with a smirk.

"It's not," Jude agreed. "He's been dreading it for weeks, but her parents are paying for it and the wedding."

"And have you seen his fiancée since the whole dinner fiasco?"

"No…I'm kind of dreading that myself," Jude admitted quietly. "She totally hates me."

"She doesn't know you."

"Yeah, but she can still hate me. Trust me, I'm far from her favorite person in the world."

"Well, at least you'll have Rob with you," Sadie said positively.

"Nope. Rob can't go."

"What? Why? Is everything okay?" Sadie asked, sounding panicked.

"Yeah, everything's fine, Sades, calm down. He didn't do too well on his Economics mid-term, so the professor gave him some extra credit assignment, but it's due tomorrow."

"So you're going alone?"

"Yep. Just me in a room full of sharks…"

"Wow, Jude, that's pretty brave of you. It's one thing to go alone to a party where you know a bunch of people but you'll know one person at this shindig."

"No, I'll know two people," Jude corrected. "Although only one will talk to me."

"Right. So you're basically expecting Tommy to entertain you all night?"

"No, I'll meet people. And besides, I'm not planning to stay long, but I promised him I would go."

"Anything for Tommy, right?" Sadie asked in a mocking tone.

"You're so funny, Sadie," Jude replied, in an equally mocking tone.

"Oh wait, I just got the pictures. Let me see…" Sadie said quickly, taking a moment. "Ooo, I like them both."

"But which one is better for this?" Jude asked impatiently.

"Hmmm…the black one is pretty. Really simple, traditional little black dress. But the blue one is amazing—Jude, there's no back on this dress!"

"I know. So?"

"That's pretty sexy, don't you think?" Sadie asked skeptically.

"Maybe, but it looks great on. And I feel good in it, but I don't know if it's too showy. What do you think?"

"I think Rob would have a heart attack if you wear that dress without him."

"Why? It's not that bad, Sadie! It's tasteful."

"It's a beautiful dress, Jude, but don't you want your boyfriend to be with you when you look that good? Unless this isn't for your boyfriend…"

"What are you talking about?"

"Maybe this is for another guy," Sadie started. "Someone who will definitely have trouble keeping his jaw closed if you wear this."

"Sadie, you have to be kidding…you think I'd wear this dress for Tommy? It's his engagement party!"

"So? You said yourself that they don't seem too happy together, so why not make him think about his other options?"

"Do I need to remind you that I wouldn't be one of his options? I have a boyfriend," Jude said defensively.

"Jude, come on…I know you're all happy and couply with Rob, but…this is Tommy."

"What's your point, Sadie?"

"Can you honestly tell me that if he dropped his fiancée and told you he wants to run away to Tahiti with you, you'd turn him down?"

Jude stopped for a moment, then said, "Sadie, I—"

"Uhh—you hesitated," Sadie remarked quickly.

"What? I was thinking!"

"What's there to think about, Jude? This should be an easy question…unless you don't know how you feel about Tommy…"

"Tommy and I are friends. End of story."

"Then what were you thinking about?" Sadie asked knowingly.

"I was—and you said—Sadie, ugh! You're impossible," Jude exclaimed infuriatingly. "I love my boyfriend. I'm friends with Tommy. Stop making more drama than there needs to be!"

"Jude—will you chill out?" Sadie asked sternly. "Wow, I didn't mean to get you all riled up. Just wear the blue one then."

Jude sighed and shifted the phone to her other ear. "Thank you."

"But don't complain after it causes a stir with the boys…" Sadie replied quietly.

Jude groaned loudly then said, "Sadie, I'm going now. Thanks for your help."

"Good luck!"

"Thanks," Jude responded hopelessly.

"You're going to need it," Sadie added with a laugh before hanging up the phone.

-----------------------

Jude nervously tugged on the edge of her dress as she paused for a moment outside the country club. She adjusted the wrap around her shoulders, a compromise that Sadie had come up with to make the missing back of her dress less noticeable. She took a deep breath and opened the front door. She saw a sign for the "Thompson-Quincy Engagement Party" and shuddered at the sight. Thompson-Quincy engagement. She shook her head lightly, still in disbelief that Tommy was now engaged.

She walked down the hall and emerged into an open room, filled with people. She timidly walked in and surveyed her surroundings a little closer. There were flowers arranged on the many tables with candles and champagne glasses. There was an area where guests could sign a book with their congratulations and a picture of Jessica and Tommy framed in the corner.

She looked at the photo closely—Tommy had his arm around Jessica and they were both smiling. They looked happy in the picture—something Jude had yet to see. Moving her glance away from the picture, she scanned the crowd, seeing a mix of older and younger couples. Her eyes were drawn to the couple at the center of it all—Tommy was standing next to Jessica, both holding glasses of wine and listening to a story being told by an older man.

Watching them, Jude suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of emptiness—she had no idea where it came from but a wave of sadness washed right over her, seeping into her heart. Her skin started to feel hot and her breath quickened, as the fear of the emotion became unbearable. She needed to get out. She hurriedly retreated back down the hall towards the entrance. Picking up the pace, she saw the front door ahead of her but stopped the moment she heard her name.

"Jude!"

She halted about five feet from the front door, keeping her back towards the party. She knew who the voice belonged to.

"Where are you going?" Tommy asked, walking quickly to meet up with her.

She breathed deeply and turned around to look at him. "Umm…just needed some fresh air."

He scrutinized her expression and raised his eyebrows.

"Fresh air? You just got here."

"Wow, Quincy, I didn't realize I was being watched…" she joked as he cocked his head at her, prodding her to tell him the truth. Holding back how she really felt, she sighed and said, "Okay…I was kind of rethinking this whole 'going alone to your engagement party' thing."

He grinned and replied, "Too late. You're here and you're not going anywhere."

She scrunched up her face in disappointment. "Fine. But just for you—I wouldn't do this for anybody else, you know."

He smiled and put his arm around her, walking her back towards the dining room. "I know, I know…but you're the only one I was allowed to invite, so you have to stay."

She looked at him in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah. Jessica's parents told me they couldn't fit anyone extra into the dining room, but I fought like hell to get one seat."

"They seriously told you not to invite anyone?"

"Not in so many words…I believe they said that since they were paying for all of the festivities, they couldn't accommodate more than their personal guests," he replied, walking back into the room. "But the good news is I'm allowed about 20 people at the wedding."

"20 out of 200? Wow, you must have far more patience than you used to, Quincy," she muttered as they joined a group of people in the middle.

As they entered the circle, Tommy introduced Jude to the group. She smiled and shook hands, meeting Jessica's grandparents, friends, and finally, her parents. After saying a quick hello to Jessica, Jude stood on the outskirts of the circle watching everyone go back to their conversations. She quietly walked over to one of the tables and sat down, introducing herself to a couple next to her.

Half an hour later, she was incredibly bored. Tommy had been swept up in conversation with Jessica's parents and the couple next to her proved to be just as dull as the gray carpet. As she turned back towards the couple to ask about their children again, she felt someone come up behind her.

"Hey," Tommy said, crouching down next to her. "Are you surviving?"

"Barely," she replied flatly. "But it's your engagement party. There's nowhere else I'd rather be," she added with a phony smile.

He laughed lightly at her and leaned in closer, whispering, "Do you want to make a run for it then?"

She looked at him skeptically. "I would but I think the Thompson police would hunt me down…"

"I'm serious. I need to get out of here. These people are killing me. Come with me," he said, slight desperation in his voice.

Her eyes widened and she immediately answered, "Let's go."


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: Thank you all for your patience...I'm back from my trip and here to update, as promised. In every story I've written so far, I have one or two favorite chapters. This is definitely one of them for this story. So I hope you all enjoy it too :-)_

**We pick up right after Tommy and Jude leave the engagement party...**

----------------------------------------------------

"You never really talk about the wedding," Jude commented, walking down the lamp post-lined path in the middle of the park next to Tommy.

"There's not much to talk about," he replied flatly.

"Well, when is it? Where is it? How did you ask her?" Jude asked, looking at him curiously.

"Okay, I guess there are some things to talk about," he joked. He looked back at her interested face and sighed, realizing she was serious. "Okay, okay…it's in four months. It's at that same country club we were just at. The Thompsons booked one of their big reception rooms—they're expecting a couple hundred people."

"Only twenty of whom will be yours," Jude piped in with a smile.

"Right. And how did I ask her? I just did, I don't know," he replied vaguely, looking up at the dark sky.

"That's a pretty abstract answer," she said, waiting for more details.

"It just happened, it wasn't some big thing. We were out to dinner on our anniversary and I just asked her."

"Was she surprised?" Jude asked.

Tommy thought for a moment before answering. "Not really…she knew it was coming."

"Really? I'd rather be surprised," Jude said thoughtfully.

"Well, we talked about it beforehand. She wanted to get married and we had been dating for two years, so it was time," he answered, pausing their walk to sit down on a bench.

Jude thought to herself for a few seconds, standing above him. She looked at his distant expression and asked, "But…that's what you wanted too, right? I mean, you wanted to get married?"

"Yeah, I wanted to," he replied, looking up at her. "I wouldn't let her make that decision for me."

"I know, I didn't meant that…it's just, the way you said it, it sounded like it was all her idea," Jude explained, sitting down next to him.

"Well, I guess it was but it was the right thing to do," he replied, glancing over at her. She listened to him attentively, nodding. "I know you haven't exactly seen the best of her, but she really is a good person."

She looked into his eyes and saw his sincerity. "I know. You wouldn't be with her if she weren't."

He grinned at her appreciatively, catching sight of the twinkle from the moon in her eyes. She smiled back warmly, her stomach churning slightly. Realizing their closeness, they both abruptly looked away, ending the moment.

"How about you?" he asked, looking down at his feet. "Marriage in your future anytime soon?"

She couldn't help but smirk loudly at his question. He looked over at her as she shrugged. "Sorry…it's just that since Sadie's getting married in a couple of weeks, it's like everybody feels the need to ask me when I'm getting married. Especially my mother."

"So what do you tell her?"

"That I'm taking my time. That I'm young. That she needs to stop pushing," Jude replied firmly.

He watched her response, realizing it was a sensitive topic. "Sorry, I didn't meant to push—"

"No, it's okay…it's just a big step. And my mom of all people should know that I'm not looking to rush down the aisle," she clarified. He nodded in understanding, remembering her parents' divorce and the effect it had had on her. "Sorry if I snapped at you. It just seems like once you're in a relationship, that's all people want to know."

"Yeah, I get that too. Just wait—once you've covered the whole wedding thing, then they start asking about kids. Jessica and I aren't even married yet and her parents already enrolled our kids in a private school."

Jude laughed lightly, more at ease with their conversation. She stood up and stretched, her wrap falling to her waist to reveal her back. He couldn't help but watch her, gazing at her creamy skin against the moonlight. He hadn't noticed how great she looked, how the dress accentuated her delicate shoulders, the curves of her frame. He watched as she leaned over and slipped out of her shoes, holding them in her hand with the wrap. She quickly jumped onto the grass beside them, sinking her toes into the cool earth.

She looked at him and saw his eyes fixated on her, feeling herself blush slightly. He smiled at her and stood up, clearing his throat to detract from his staring.

"Be careful. There could be dog poop in that grass," he joked.

She laughed. "I'll take my chances. Besides, the sign over there says this area is off limits for pets."

"Ahhh," he said, nodding his head in understanding, walking alongside her.

"You could take off your shoes too, you know," she said, a glimmer in her eye.

"And why exactly would I do that?" he questioned.

"Ummm…because it's fun," she replied with an eye roll.

"How is walking barefoot at night through a public park fun?" he asked, looking at her skeptically.

"It just is, you'll see," she responded, stopping and turning towards him. "Oh come on, where is your sense of adventure? Spontaneity? The Quincy I used to know would've done anything that didn't involve wrecking his hair," she teased.

He narrowed his eyes at her but a grin appeared on his face. "Think I'm boring, Harrison?"

"Maybe," she challenged with a mischievous smile.

He sighed loudly and shook his head, considering her challenge. He then let out a small groan and leaned over to start untying his shoes. She smiled widely at his actions, watching him stuff his socks inside his shoes. He took off his jacket and held onto it, along with his shoes, joining her on the grass. He sunk his toes into the cold ground, his eyes widening at the sensation.

"It's cold," he said, looking down.

"Awww, you can take it. Come on," she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him further onto the lawn. She started running ahead of him, watching behind her as he began to chase her, their laughter resounding all throughout the park.

--------------

Sitting on the ledge of the fountain an hour later, they both started putting their shoes back on, laughing and telling stories of when they used to work together.

"That jumpsuit was the most hideous thing I've ever had to wear!" she exclaimed, sliding one foot into her shoe.

"It was pretty hideous," he agreed. "You looked like a silver batgirl."

"Hey! That ridiculously tight silver outfit saved both our jobs!" she exclaimed.

"True. But that platinum wig definitely was over the top," he added with a laugh.

"That was Darius' idea. I take no credit for the wig, though it did give me the idea to make the change permanent," she said.

"Which I see you've kept," he replied, referring to her blonde hair. She nodded and slipped her other foot into the shoe. She thought for a few moments, debating in her mind whether or not to ask the question that was on her mind. She watched as he slid his foot into his shoe and began to tie it.

"Quincy?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"Are you…happy?"

He finished tying and looked up at her, trying to read her. "Why? Does it not seem like I am?"

"I don't know. I can't tell. Sometimes it seems like you are," she explained, watching as he turned away and ran a hand through his hair. She bit her lip and instantly felt bad for the question. "You know, just forget I asked. It's not my business."

"Yes, it is," he replied, looking back at her, into her eyes. "You're part of my life. It's your business to ask that."

She nodded slowly, still feeling uncertain about her question. He sighed and stood up, looking down at her.

"Honestly, I don't know the answer. Sometimes I am and sometimes…I'm not so sure…" he trailed, looking at the fountain behind them.

"So, why not make a change then? Why settle?" she asked softly, looking up at him candidly.

"It's not settling. I just think this is the best it gets for me. I can't be happy all the time, Jude."

"But you deserve to be happy more than just sometimes…" she said, standing up and looking into his eyes. "We all do…"

He looked into her eyes and quietly asked, "Are you?"

She shifted her gaze away from his and swallowed to get rid of the lump that formed in her throat at his question. "I guess I am."

"That's not very convincing, Jude," he said, watching her intently.

She exhaled deeply and turned back towards him. Feeling the intensity of his gaze, she couldn't help but let her honesty come to the surface, as she faintly said, "Right now, I am happy."

A small grin appeared on his face, as he stared into her eyes and replied softly, "Right now, so am I."


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: I'm so sorry for not posting sooner but I was seriously having technical difficulties on this site. If any of you are DLS members, I'm posting on there too so if you don't see an update here, you can always try there too. _

_Anyway, here's the next chapter, which picks up right after the scene in the park. I'm working on the next couple of chapters and they should be posted within the next day or two, assuming you all like this one :-) Oh, and I don't own The Fray, I just love them. Thanks for reviewing and ENJOY! _

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Jude walked into her apartment, closing the door and leaning against it. She had a huge smile on her face that she couldn't get rid of. As much as she wanted to deny it, she loved hanging out with Tommy. She loved the way he made her feel—how easy it was to talk to him and how little she had to explain herself. She thought about watching him run through the park without his shoes and the expression on his face when he stepped onto the cold grass, making her laugh aloud.

"What's so funny?" she heard, looking up to meet Rob's eyes across the room.

She quickly snapped out of her daze and stepped away from the door. "Nothing, just a funny story somebody told at dinner."

"So it was good?" he asked, walking further into the room.

"Yeah, it was okay…kind of a boring crowd," she said, taking her shoes off and throwing her purse on a chair. "How's the work going?"

"Okay. I hope you don't mind that I'm here—my neighbors are dancing to that salsa music again," he explained, sitting on the edge of the couch.

"Not at all. You know you're welcome here anytime," she said, leaning over and kissing him. He reached behind her and pulled her in closer, breaking the kiss to look at her.

"A backless dress?" he asked with a mischievous grin.

She smiled at him. "Do you like it?"

"Of course, but what did the prim and proper hostess think?" he replied, referring to Jessica.

"Well, I had a wrap covering it so no one knew," she said, giving him another quick kiss before retreating towards the kitchen.

"Very sneaky," he replied. "Did you meet anybody halfway decent?" he asked, hearing her turn on the faucet.

"Not really. Everybody was pretty blah," she replied, emerging from the kitchen with a glass of water.

"Who did you talk to then?" he asked, as she sat down in the chair opposite him.

"Well…I met this couple who are cousins of Jessica's. We talked a little, but I mostly just hung out with Tommy."

"Ahh, the groom…did he have fun?" Rob asked, sliding down into the couch.

"Not at all. I think he was dying more than I was," she replied, putting the glass down. She sighed and relaxed comfortably in the chair, lifting her feet to rest on the edge of the coffee table.

He scrutinized her appearance for a minute, then asked, "Jude? Why are your feet dirty?"

Her mouth immediately opened to answer, though no response came out. She put her feet down on the ground and quickly stood up, heading towards the closet to grab a towel. "Umm, well, I kind of went for a walk through the park."

"It's close to midnight. You walked through the park by yourself at this time of night?" he asked in a slight panic.

She stopped for a moment by the closet, debating how to handle his question. She slowly took the towel from the shelf and brought it back over to the couch. "No, I actually got dragged there."

"Dragged there?" he repeated, appearing confused.

"Yeah," she said casually, wiping the grass off her feet. "Tommy was seriously about to explode at that party, so he snuck out and dragged me with him."

Rob leaned back against the couch, eyeing her closely. "Uh huh…and you just walked through the park without shoes? Both of you?"

"Sort of," Jude said quietly, focusing intently on the dirt between her toes. "It wasn't a big deal. He was all tense over the party, so I thought it would help loosen him up a little."

"Uh huh," he repeated, still watching her carefully as she finished cleaning her feet. "Whatever you say, Jude."

She looked up at him irritably. "Please don't act like a jealous boyfriend, Rob."

"I'm not saying anything," he replied, putting his arms behind his head.

"Then stop looking at me like that," she replied. "He's my friend. He needed to get out of there, so I helped him. You would've done the same for one of your friends."

He chuckled. "I don't think I would ever want any of my friends to remove their shoes."

"Well that's because your friends haven't showered in weeks," she replied with a grin, standing up to approach him. "Stop worrying, okay? I love you. How many times do I have to tell you?"

He gently pulled her towards him until she was seated on his lap. "A few more times wouldn't hurt."

"Okay…I love you," she replied, kissing him lightly. "I love you, I love you. Good?"

"Getting there…" he said softly, pulling her in to kiss her more deeply. She wound her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his, trying to keep her focus on the main guy in her life.

------------

The phone rang loudly causing Jude to sit abruptly, her hair strewn all over her face. She looked over at the clock, reading 7:00am. She heard Rob groan next to her, pulling the pillow over his head. She leaned over and clumsily grabbed her cell phone. She saw the name on the front and sighed, reluctantly getting out of bed and stepping into the hallway. She quickly opened the phone and groggily said, "Hello?"

"Good morning, sunshine," she heard on the other end of the line.

"Tommy, do you have any idea what time it is?" she asked tersely, walking towards her living room.

"Umm, I believe it's around 7:00. Too early for you?" he asked playfully.

"You think?" she replied sarcastically, plopping down on the couch.

"Still your pleasant self in the morning, I see," he replied with a smirk.

"Very funny. If you showed up with coffee like you used to, then maybe I'd be happier," she replied with a yawn. She heard a soft knock on her front door as she groaned and stood up. "Hold on a second, somebody's at my door…"

She unlocked the door and opened it, seeing Tommy standing before her with his phone in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. He smiled at her as her jaw dropped.

"What is this? An intervention?" she asked, shutting her phone.

"I came prepared. This is for you," he said, handing her the cup of coffee.

"You didn't," she remarked with wide eyes, grabbing the cup and walking back over to the couch. He walked in, closing the door behind him, and watched her sip the coffee with a huge smile on her face. He then scanned her appearance, smirking loudly.

"Nice outfit," he commented.

She suddenly grew self-conscious, looking down at her Rainbow Brite shorts and matching t-shirt. She quickly smoothed out her ragged hair, saying, "Well it's not like I was expecting visitors at 7:00am on a Sunday morning."

He chuckled and walked over, sitting in the chair opposite her.

"So…are you here just to bring me coffee or did you disturb my sleep for another reason?" she asked.

"For another reason, but I come bearing gifts," he replied with a grin.

"Gifts?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes," he confirmed. "Gift number one—the coffee."

"Check," she said, taking another sip.

"Gift number two—what are you doing next Saturday night?"

She thought for a few moments, "Next Saturday…in two Saturdays is Sadie's wedding, but I think I'm free next weekend. Rob has a dinner for school, so he'll be out, but I'll be around. Why?"

"Because…I happen to have tickets to a concert that I thought you might be interested in."

"Which concert?" she asked.

"Ohh, just a little band you might know...The Fray," he said offhandedly, watching her mouth gape and her eyes widen.

"The Fray? Oh my god, Tommy, they're my favorite!"

"I know, you made me listen to that CD at least ten times when we were cleaning out your closet, remember?" he said.

"Yes, but I didn't know you were actually paying attention! Oh my god! How did you get tickets?" she asked, overwhelmed by excitement.

"I have a friend who works at their label and offered them to me…I had to go meet him at the crack of dawn to pick up the tickets, but it's yours if you want to go."

"Of course I'll go!" she exclaimed before quieting down. Her expression quickly changed to be more serious, as she asked, "Wait—what about Jessica? Won't she be mad?"

He chuckled. "No—first of all, she hates that kind of music. If it's not an angry female rocker, she can't stand it. Secondly, she'll be out of town for work, so she couldn't make it anyway."

"Okay…" she replied hesitantly. "If you're sure. I don't want to start anything with the two of you."

"You're not, I promise," he said, meeting her gaze and holding out her ticket. "Just come with me. It'll be fun."

She smiled widely again, before grabbing the ticket and replying, "Sold."

"Good," he said, standing up. "If you said no, I was prepared to take that coffee back."

She looked at him challengingly. "Oh really? So I'm assuming you were prepared for it to be spilled all over you?"

"No, that's my fiancée," he joked, before turning towards the door.

She put her coffee down and stood up, laughing lightly at his comment. "Thank you so much," she said sincerely, before wrapping her arms around him in a hug. He held her for a moment until he heard a noise behind them.

"Ahem," Rob's voice sounded, causing them to immediately separate. Jude looked back at him, perched against the wall with his arms crossed.

"Hi," she said, backing up further.

"Morning," he replied flatly, eyeing Tommy suspiciously. "Hey."

"Hey," Tommy responded, feeling the awkwardness of the situation set in.

Jude felt it too, quickly saying, "Tommy just stopped by to give me this—it's a ticket to The Fray concert next week!"

"That's great," Rob said, sitting on the couch.

Jude noticed his indifference and turned towards Tommy, grinning uneasily.

"Well, I should go. I'll talk to you later," Tommy said to Jude, then glanced over at Rob. "I'll see you around?"

"Yeah, I'll see you," Rob replied, nodding at him before watching him walk through the door. Jude thanked him one last time before closing the door, leaving her and Rob alone.

She sighed and looked over at him. "Well, I need another hour of sleep. Want to come back with me?"

"No, that's okay. I've got work to do," he responded, standing up. He gave her a quick kiss before she walked back down the hall and closed the door to her bedroom.


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: Two in a row! Yay! Anyway, I do not own The Fray or the song in this chapter, although I absolutely love it and recommend it, along with any of their other songs, to those of you who haven't heard it. The next few chapters are pretty important, so it might take me a little longer to get the next one posted, just because I want to make sure it's perfect...but stay tuned for serious drama ahead. ENJOY!_

**This chapter begins on the Saturday night of the concert...**

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Jude stood eagerly outside the theater, thinking about the concert ahead. Not only was she going to see her favorite band, but she was going with Tommy, her favorite musical accomplice. She couldn't help but smile thinking of the effort he had gone for her.

Through the crowd, she saw him making his way to the front entrance, mimicking the smile on her face. Pushing through groups of people anxiously waiting on line to enter the theater, he approached her.

"Hey," he said cheerfully.

"Hi," she replied. "So, did you get them?"

"Jude, I told you not to get your hopes up…" he said, giving her a discouraging look.

"Oh come on, I know you well enough by now, Quincy. You wouldn't have mentioned those VIP passes unless you actually had them," she said with an eye roll.

"And why is that?" he questioned.

"Because…you know I'd beat you up," she replied with a grin.

He laughed lightly and reached into his pocket, producing two large passes on strings. "Intimidation works wonders."

Her eyes lit up and her smile widened as she saw the passes. "Yes! You're the best!" she exclaimed, jumping on him with a hug.

"You know," he started, as she pulled back holding the VIP pass, "you never thought I was this great when we worked together."

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Well you never invited me to any concerts."

He nodded, thinking, "True."

They began weaving through the crowd to get towards the front entrance. She reached back and grabbed his hand to keep him close, surprising him but sending quick sparks throughout both of their bodies. They kept walking, ignoring the feelings that incited by their contact, finally stepping up to the entrance. Jude flashed her VIP pass to the bouncer, who let them both enter.

They walked down a hallway into the theater and emerged in a large open space already starting to fill with people. Surveying the room, Jude showed her ticket to an attendant, who ushered them down a path all the way to the front of the theater.

"Wow…you said front row but I didn't really think you meant _front row_," she said dreamily, taking her seat and staring up at the stage, a mere five feet in front of them.

Smiling at her excitement, Tommy stood up. "I'm going to get a drink before the show starts—do you want anything?"

"Sure, what are you getting?"

"The only stand I saw back there was for beer…so it's either that or water."

She shrugged. "You know, I'll take a beer. Why not?"

He nodded in agreement and walked back out towards the refreshment stand.

About 20 minutes later, as the auditorium was packed with people impatiently waiting for the show to begin, Tommy returned with a few filled cups stacked in a cardboard holder.

"Umm, I thought you were only getting one for each of us…" Jude said, helping him put the drinks down on the ground while he took a seat.

"I figured once the concert started, we wouldn't want to wait in that line to get more," he replied, picking up one of the cups and handing it to her.

"Good point," she agreed, taking the cup and watching him pick one up too.

Before drinking it, he looked at her and tapped the edge of his cup against hers. "Cheers."

She nodded and added, "To a fun night. And a great concert."

They both sipped the beers. She held it in her hand and asked, "So what do these VIP passes get you anyway? Besides getting to cut the line."

"Well…let's just say that you'll be able to get up and close with your favorite band."

She looked at him excitedly. "How close?"

He glanced back at her with a knowing grin. "Well…if you're nice to me," he said, leaning back in his chair, "I'll take you backstage after the show."

Her eyes widened. "Seriously?"

He nodded silently, watching her jaw drop open.

"Wow, that would be amazing," she replied, slumping back in her seat pensively. He smiled at her reaction, her infectious energy making him more eager for the show.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed and the crowd went wild. Putting their drinks aside, Jude and Tommy jumped to their feet, Jude screaming loudly. The lights shone brightly on figures on the stage as the band entered and started playing.

--------

An hour later, while the band was taking a break in between sets, Jude looked over at Tommy.

"Having fun?" she yelled to him, the crowd still going wild waiting for them to come back on stage.

"Definitely," he said with a smile. Her eyes focused on his, both grinning silently through the roar of the crowd.

She stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and stood up on her toes to reach his ear.

"Thank you," she said quietly, her crisp blue eyes meeting his. She leaned in closer, pulling him into an embrace. He wrapped his arms around her, keeping her close, and leaned down to her ear, "You're welcome."

She looked up at him with a warm smile, not wanting to step out of his hold. Their eyes locked, neither budging from their stance, as she felt the sudden rush of butterflies in her stomach. He stared back at her, unable to look away, until they heard movement on the stage above and saw the lights turn back on.

They slowly detached from each other, resuming their separate places to refocus on the music that was being played. Bringing them back to reality, Jude started screaming as the opening chords to one of her favorite songs began, while Tommy stood quietly beside her.

As the song started, Tommy stood back and watched Jude, who was singing along loudly and clapping her hands to the beat.

_There are certain people you just keep coming back to  
She is right in front of you  
_

Unknowingly, Tommy began listening closely to the lyrics of the song, watching Jude bounce around in front of the stage.

_You begin to wonder could you find a better one  
Compared to her now she's in question _

_And all at once the crowd begins to sing  
Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same _

Maybe you want her, maybe you need her  
Maybe you started to compare to someone not there

Looking for the right one you line up the world to find  
Where no questions cross your mind  
But she won't keep on waiting for you without a doubt  
Much longer for you to sort it out

He listened to the song, heard the words that were being sung, as though they were sung to him.

_  
And all at once the crowd begins to sing  
Sometimes  
We'd never know what's wrong without the pain  
Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same _

Maybe you want her, maybe you need her  
Maybe you've started to compare to someone not there  
Maybe you want it, maybe you need it  
Maybe it's all you're running from  
Perfection will not come

Maybe you want her, maybe you need her  
Maybe you had her, maybe you lost her to another  
To another

As the song wound down, Jude screamed loudly while Tommy applauded, still absorbed in his own thoughts. She turned back to him and saw his distant expression.

"You okay?" she asked in concern.

He nodded and gave her a small grin. "Yeah, I'm good."

She gently smiled and turned back towards the stage.

----------

Four hours and six beers later, an exhilarated Jude stumbled out of the theater, immediately cringing at the cold rain falling on her. Stepping back under the awning of the theater, she turned around to see Tommy stagger through the double doors to stand under the awning beside her.

"It's raining," he said, looking at the wet street.

She turned towards him and muttered, "You're so smart."

He scowled at her then turned back towards the rain, watching a group of people run out of the theater into the rain.

"Oh!" Jude exclaimed, her eyes wide. "I think I left my purse inside…I remember having it when I was talking to that drummer guy…"

"Jude," he said, grabbing her arm to stop her from going back inside, "it's on your shoulder."

She looked over at her right shoulder and smirked. "So it is…whoops."

He couldn't help but laugh at her, clearly woozy from the quantities of alcohol they had been consuming all night.

"So," she started as he quieted down, "what now?"

"We could make a run for it," he suggested, looking out at the rain.

"Okay, but where to?" she asked.

He shrugged, not wanting the night to end but knowing it was after 1am.

"Well, my apartment is only four blocks away. Yours is six. So come over to my place," she offered.

"Are you sure? It's late, I can just go home," he replied skeptically.

"No, it's fine. You can keep me company until the rain stops," she said, pulling his arm to walk with her into the rain. "I'll race you!" she cried before taking off through the falling rain.

"No fair! You got a head start!" he said, jogging through the rain after her, hearing thunder roar above him.


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: Okay, so here's the next chapter. Before you read on, I have to post a warning that there is some adult content in this post. I hope no one is offended by it, but please proceed with caution. _

_I'm nervous about this chapter because it's the point in the story where everything changes and it's pretty important. So please let me know what you think. Reviews are always appreciated, but for some reason, I'm feeling more unsure about this chapter than the others._

_And finally, thanks so much for being patient. I really hope it's worth the wait._

**We start immediately after the last chapter, as Tommy and Jude race each other back to her place...**

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"I win," Jude announced, bursting through her front door and slipping off her wet shoes.

"But you cheated," Tommy countered, entering behind her and kicking his shoes off too.

"I did not," she replied firmly.

"Jude, you ran straight through that intersection even though it was a red light," he explained, watching as she turned on the lamp in the living room. "You're a jaywalking delinquent."

"Jaywalking isn't cheating," she replied. "It's a ridiculous law. And besides, you're just upset because you were too chicken to run through it too."

"I was not," he replied, crossing his arms. "I just prefer to respect the law."

"Sure you do," she responded with a light grin, thinking about the irony of his statement. She reached up to her eye, rubbing it lightly, feeling something in it.

"Quincy, is there something in my eye? I feel like there's something there but I can't get it."

He walked over to her, as she unintentionally swayed from the effect of alcohol in her system, trying to stand in place.

"Yeah, I think there is something…hold on…" he said, leaning in closely to try to grab it. "Jude, would you please stop moving so I don't poke your eye out?" he asked, pulling on her arms to keep her still.

"I'm sorry, but the room is spinning," Jude said with a sigh, trying to stand still before him and closing her eyes. "And now, it's seriously making me nauseous."

"Do you want me to help or not?" he asked.

"Just get it, already," she replied impatiently, eyes shut.

"Fine," he said, leaning over and gently picking a tiny wet leaf off the tip of her lashes.

Discarding the leaf beside him, he found himself staring at her, still standing with her eyes closed. Without thinking, he brought his finger back up to her eye, lingering for a few seconds. Slowly, he dragged his finger down her lashes and onto her cheek, touching her soft skin. He felt mesmerized by her, like he couldn't remove his hand even if he wanted to. He gently made small circles against her cheek, the touch of her skin burning his finger, as he noticed a small smile appear on her face. Her eyes remained closed as he continued, running his finger down her cheek to the edge of her lips. He sucked in a breath as he touched the side of her lips, sweeping his finger against her smooth bottom lip. She parted her lips slightly as her breath quickened. She felt her skin smolder at his touch, running his finger from one side of her lip to the other.

As he finished outlining her lips, he watched her eyes gently flutter open. Her blue eyes blazed into his, unable to look away. Shifting slightly, Jude blinked, snapping them both out of the trance. She turned away from his gaze, awkwardly stepping back to end the moment. But he watched her regretfully, willing her to come back.

"Jude…"

"I just need to umm…get a towel to dry off…do you want one?"

"Jude," he repeated, reaching out to grab her arm, keeping her from walking away.

She felt her heart pounding in her chest, about to break out of her body. She timidly turned back towards him, keeping her eyes focused on the floor.

He gently pulled her back in closer, watching her nervous expression.

"Jude," he said softly, holding her across from him and trying to get her to look up at him.

Slowly, she shifted her gaze upwards and into his eyes, chills running down her spine. He looked into her eyes and saw a world of emotions—fear, nervousness, anticipation. But he also knew that behind it all was the same sense of longing that he felt.

Looking into his eyes, she had so much to tell him but couldn't muster up the courage to speak.

Barely audible, like a whisper, she said, "I can't."

He looked at her sympathetically, seeing her eyes retreat back to the floor. He sighed deeply and stepped forward to pull her in to a hug. Her heart raced as his body surrounded hers. He rubbed her back soothingly, though they both felt the energy ignite from his actions.

He closed his eyes and muttered quietly, "Neither can I."

She pulled back to look up at him questioningly, meeting his gaze and immediately feeling drawn to his side. His expression revealed the inner demons he was battling—the struggle between desire and realism. Sincerity and dishonesty. Right and wrong.

But as he stood in front of her, the words of the song he had heard only hours ago resonated over and over in his mind: Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same.

Forgetting everything else in his life except those lyrics and the woman before him, he slowly leaned down and brought his lips to her forehead, lightly kissing her. She let out a sigh, her eyes closing to tune out everything else around her. He exhaled deeply too, feeling the weight of his frustrations gradually lift and his resistance break down. He looked at her closely and then bent in again, bringing his lips to the tip of her nose. Her lips curled upwards in a subtle smile, though her eyes remained closed. He faintly grinned too but eyed her lips, waiting to be touched. He closed his eyes and leaned in one more time, slowly, hesitantly. Ever so lightly, he brought his mouth to hers, brushing gently against her lips, feeling a quick spark emit at their touch.

She stood frozen as his lips lightly swept against hers, but felt the tingles surge at their brief exchange. Her body felt paralyzed as his warm breath flooded her mouth, returning back to cold within seconds as he pulled away. Slowly, she opened her eyes to watch him retreat a few steps, a look of uncertainty on his face.

He stepped away slowly, questioning his actions and worried about her reaction. He stood before her, speechless, as her eyes opened and met his. She instantly recognized his doubt, awaiting her response.

Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was the rush she had felt from kissing him, but all of her concerns were suddenly lost. Her reluctance flew out the window as she looked at him standing before her, her breathing increasing in anticipation.

Without hesitation, she took a step forward, closing the space between them, and crashed her lips into his. He faltered at first, surprised by her actions, but then pulled her in, pressing his lips against hers hungrily. She wrapped her arms around his back, clinging to his damp shirt to remain steady. He pressed his lips against her more forcefully, satisfying his urge to consume her, as she moved her tongue into his mouth. He felt her tongue touch his and immediately reciprocated, working his tongue against hers. Their kiss ignited passion, both surrendering to the intensity of the connection.

She felt his hands travel over her body, creeping under her tank top. He touched her bare back, running his fingers over her skin, sending sparks throughout her body. Butterflies running wild in her stomach, she kept her mouth on his and reached for the front of his shirt, starting to undo the buttons. She pulled them apart hastily, working the shirt off of him and tossing it on the floor.

Keeping his lips focused on hers, he slowly walked her backwards until she was leaning against the wall. She ran her fingers up his back to feel the grooves of his body, hearing him groan. He grabbed the edge of her tank top and pulled it over her head, breaking the kiss for a moment, before throwing it down on the ground. Their mouths immediately reunited, as he wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. He then brought his fingers to the clasp of her bra and gently unhooked it, pulling it over her shoulders to fall to the floor.

She moaned softly at his actions, flames engulfing her whole body. As he began kissing her neck, she grew more impatient, her desire becoming overwhelming. She pushed him backwards towards the hallway, knocking into a small table and causing a vase to tip over. Ignoring the sound of the vase falling on the floor and water rushing to the carpet, his lips moved up her neck to capture her mouth again. He held her close and followed her lead, stumbling down the hall, shedding the rest of their clothing along the way, the hall lined with jeans, socks, belts, and finally, underwear.

Not bothering to stop and consider their actions, they made their way towards her bedroom, the heat growing only more and more intense by the second. Tommy followed her inside, kicking the door closed on his way in, shutting out all the voices in their heads and officially crossing the line from friends to lovers.

-------------

Hours later, they both collapsed, side by side, on the bed. Neither could begin to think coherently as they lay beside each other, breathing heavily. Silence set in on the room as they gradually returned to consciousness. Wanting to escape reality for just a little while longer, Jude quietly shifted so that she was up against him, hearing his heart pounding in his chest. He instinctively wrapped his arm around her tightly and kissed her head, wanting to savor the moment forever.


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N: Thanks for all of your replies! I'm sooooo happy you guys seemed to like the last chapter. It means a lot to me._

_I'm sorry that I've been a delinquent poster, but here's the next chapter. The one after this should be up over the weekend, as long as you like this one :) And all I can say is, when you read this, just trust me. I promise I won't lead you astray :) ENJOY!_

**This chapter picks up where we left off, the morning after the concert...**

* * *

Jude awoke with a startle, sitting up abruptly as the phone on her bedside table rang. Before taking a moment to collect her thoughts, she answered the phone. 

"Hel—hello?"

"Hi there," she heard on the other end of the line. _Rob._

"H—hi," she said, rubbing her eyes to get rid of the sleep.

"Are you just waking up?" Rob asked.

She picked up the clock and saw the time: 12:16pm.

"Umm, sort of…" she replied, feeling a cool draft hit her body as she clutched the sheet to cover herself. She immediately looked down in shock, realizing she wasn't wearing any clothing.

"Late night?" Rob asked.

Jude scrunched her face up in confusion, putting the pieces of her night together, and looked over to see Tommy's sleeping figure beside her. Her jaw dropped opened in alarm, the memories rapidly flashing before her eyes—the first, second, and third time they had gone at it the night before, finally calling it quits around 6am.

"Umm, yeah…you could say that," she said softly, searching the ground for an article of clothing to put on. "Can you hold on one second?"

"Sure," he replied, as she tucked the cordless phone under her arm.

None of their clothing was in the room, so she quietly got up and grabbed the blanket that had fallen off the bed, wrapping it around her body before tiptoeing into the hallway.

Once in the hall, she gently closed her door, and brought the phone back up to her ear.

"Hi, sorry," she said in relief. She stared in awe down the hallway, seeing all of the clothing scattered on the ground, a trail leading from the living room into her bedroom.

"That's okay. Is everything alright?" he asked in concern.

"Sure," she said, trying to act relaxed while picking up the clothes. "I umm…just needed to close the curtains. It was a little too bright in my room."

"Well, it is after noon," he replied with a smirk. "How was the concert?"

She swallowed hard before replying. "It was…good."

"How were your seats?"

"Great—front row."

"Wow, you must've been freaking out…" he remarked.

"Umm yeah…freaking out…" she repeated, making her way to the living room to pick up her tank top and Tommy's shirt.

"Jude? Are you okay? You sound kind of…preoccupied or something," he commented.

Holding all of the clothing, she sat down on the edge of the couch, "No, I'm fine. Just had a long night."

"But it was fun?" he questioned, sensing something wasn't right.

She thought for a second, blushing at the memories. "Yeah, it was fun."

"Good, I'm glad. Did Tom have fun too?"

She bit her lip to avoid smiling. "Yeah, I think he had fun too."

"Great. Do you want to go grab some food?" he asked.

"Umm, sure, but I need to get dressed and everything," she said edgily.

"Okay. So you want to say 1:00?" he offered.

"Umm, sure. That should be fine," she said hesitantly. That gave her 45 minutes to get ready and sneak out without Tommy seeing.

"Great. I'll come by beforehand to show you some of the pictures I took last night," he said.

"No!" she suddenly exclaimed, standing up.

"What? Why not?" he asked in confusion.

She thought quickly. "I…umm…the place is a mess. And…I'm not going to have time to look at the pictures before we go. Can you just bring them with you to the restaurant?"

He paused before answering, making her anxious. "Okay. So I'll just meet you at the restaurant?"

"Yeah. Did you want to go to Cleo's?" she replied, trying to act casual.

"Sure. I'll see you there," he said.

"Great. See you then."

"Love you," he said.

She looked down at the ground, taking a deep breath. "Love you too," she muttered quietly before hearing him hang up.

Ever so quietly, she made her way back down the hallway, carrying all of their clothes and clinging to the blanket around her body. She tiptoed back into her bedroom and placed the clothes in a heap near her dresser. Not bothering to look over at the bed, she quietly tried to open one of her dresser drawers, pulling it out inch by inch.

"You can open it all the way, you know," she heard behind her, causing her to jump.

She whipped around and met Tommy's gaze, lying in her bed intently watching her.

"Ohh…sorry," she said nervously, her voice rattling, "I didn't mean to wake you."

"No, it's fine," he said, sitting up. She turned back around to avoid gaping at his chest, pretending to rummage through her drawer but letting her mind race. "I heard the phone," he added.

"Oh, yeah, that was…umm…just, uh…" she stumbled, her back still facing him.

"Rob?" he asked quietly.

She slowly turned around, looking at him. "Yeah, him."

He sighed, watching her hang on to the blanket around her body a little tighter in uneasiness. Not knowing what to say, he started quietly, "Jude—"

"Don't," she said quickly. "I can't…I can't listen, I can't think…"

"I know," he mumbled softly, looking down ruefully.

She took a deep breath and said slowly, "I just…need you to leave."

He looked up at her, meeting her gaze and seeing the sincerity in her eyes. "Well, we probably should talk first."

"No, we don't need to. There's nothing to discuss," she said coldly, turning back towards her dresser and pulling out a t-shirt and jeans.

"Are you serious?" he questioned from behind her.

"Do I sound like I'm joking?" she retorted, anger resounding in her voice. Leaving her clothing on the dresser, she quickly walked over to her nightstand, picking up her watch. As she took it from the stand, Tommy leaned over and grabbed her arm.

"Jude, just hold on one second. We need to talk—you can't just act like it didn't happen."

"Why not? As I recall, those exact words came out of your mouth a good six years ago," she spat, pulling her arm out of his grip.

He exhaled deeply, recalling the exact situation she was referring to. "That was different, Jude."

"Why? Because the way I see it, both times, we crossed a line that shouldn't have been crossed," she replied heatedly, standing across the bed and crossing her arms over the blanket.

"But we're both adults now and we need to accept the choices we make," he replied firmly. "You can't take it back. And you can't just act like it didn't happen."

"Really?" she questioned sarcastically. "Watch me."

She grabbed her clothing and hastily walked out towards the bathroom. He got up at once, found his boxers in the pile of clothing in the corner and slipped them on, following her down the hall.

"Just lock the door on your way out," she instructed, hearing him approach the bathroom.

"Jude, just listen. What happened last night…yes, it was wrong and shouldn't have happened…but it did, and…"

"Quincy," she said pleadingly, turning towards him in the doorway, "I don't want to talk about this. Please."

"Fine," he replied shortly. He sulked back to her room and quickly put his clothes on, not saying another word. Jude just stood there in contemplation, listening to his movements. She heard him walk out of her room and down the hallway, pausing briefly at the bathroom before continuing to the front door.

"So…I'll just call you later then?" he asked, trying to remain calm.

She took a deep breath and looked down at her feet. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "What?"

She looked up at him hesitantly. "I don't think you should…call me."

He took a step back, leaning against the wall in the hallway. "Why not?"

"I just…" she started, feeling the tears burn the back of her throat, "I can't do this anymore."

He eyed her in disbelief, not comprehending her words. "What are you talking about?"

"I can't be friends with you anymore," she confessed, her tears coming to the surface. "I can't have you in my life anymore."

"Are you crazy?" he asked, totally confused by her reaction.

"Tommy, we can't be friends," she replied shakily. "Especially now…how could I possibly be friends with you after what we just did? We're supposed to go back to hanging out in the park and eating dinner? I can't do that!"

"So you'd rather have nothing?" he questioned sharply.

"I'd rather have nothing than to have this!" she exclaimed, wiping away her falling tears. "Everything was perfect before this…before you. I was happy before you came back into my life. I had a boyfriend who I love—"

"Jude, don't even go there…" he warned, grinding his jaw in frustration.

"I did! And you ruined everything! I was so stupid to think we could ever actually be friends," she muttered angrily through tears. "Sadie was right. You and I—we can't ever just be friends. And you know it too."

He glared angrily at her, upset by her words and furious at her decision to end their friendship. Breathing heavily, he muttered, "So that's it? We're done?"

She nodded and sniffed, her tears still streaming. "That's it," she replied firmly.

He huffed and rushed toward the door. "Just so you know," he said, pulling his shoes on and seeing her standing in the hallway, "I'm not accepting that. We didn't see each other for five years, Jude, and I don't buy one bit of that speech you just gave about being so happy before seeing me again."

She looked away, wiping her tears again, and stayed silent as he grabbed his jacket and opened the front door. Before leaving, he looked back at her and said quietly, "You might be able to convince yourself that you were happier before I was back in your life, but you can't convince me."

He then turned and slammed the door, leaving her crying alone in the hallway.


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N: Here's the next chapter, posted today as promised. Thanks for reviewing everybody! You're seriously all the best._

**We pick up a few days after the whole 'morning after' incident.**

* * *

"Hello?" Jude said weakly into the phone.

"Jude? Is that you?" Sadie's voice came echoing through the phone line.

"Hi, Sades, it's me," Jude replied quietly, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"Are you okay? You sound all spacey or something…"

"I was sleeping," she replied distantly, stretching.

"Sleeping? Jude, it's 6:00 on a Tuesday night. What are you doing sleeping?"

"Oh, well…I kind of left work early today. I wasn't feeling well," Jude admitted hesitantly.

"Not feeling well? What's wrong, Jude? And why didn't you call me back this weekend? I left you like ten messages."

Jude exhaled loudly over the phone. "Yeah, sorry about that, I umm…turned my phone off…"

"Turned your phone off? Why?"

"Well, I was…busy…" Jude replied distantly.

"Busy with what? Oh wait—wasn't the concert on Saturday? How was it?" Sadie asked, her tone more upbeat. However, her question was met with a few moments of silence on the other end of the line.

"It was fine," Jude said faintly.

Sadie contemplated the way in which Jude's response came out.

"Okay…" she replied tentatively. "Jude, what's going on? You're not acting like yourself."

"What are you talking about?" Jude asked, wanting to avoid telling Sadie the truth.

"This mood you're in. You sound all…weird. And coming home early from work to sleep? What is it? There's way more going on than what you're telling me," Sadie said.

Jude sighed into the phone. "It's a long story."

"So? I have an hour or so before my last dress fitting."

"Sadie, I don't really feel like talking—"

"Tough. I'm going to get it out of you eventually, so start talking," Sadie insisted.

Jude swallowed and began timidly, "I sort of had a big falling out with Tommy."

"Falling out? Over what?"

Jude took a deep breath, realizing that Sadie was right—she was going to tell her the truth sooner or later, but she was really hoping it would be later. "Umm…well, it was kind of complicated…"

"Jude, just tell me already," Sadie pleaded impatiently.

"Fine, but you're not going to like it. In fact, you might hate me. I pretty much hate myself right now."

"Hate you?" Sadie questioned. "Oh, this is going to be good…really good…please, continue."

Jude closed her eyes and spit out the story in one breath. "Well, Tommy and I went to the concert, which was great, but we ended up drinking too much and when we got back to my apartment afterwards, one thing led to another and…well…you know…"

"You know? No, Jude, I don't know. So you're going to have to clarify. What happened?" Sadie asked anxiously.

"We sort of…did something really really bad," Jude mumbled.

"Like, how bad?" Sadie asked, her tone becoming more ominous as she sensed the answer.

"_Really _bad. Like the worst thing we could've done," Jude admitted quietly.

"Like—oh my god—Jude, did you—no, you couldn't have—" Sadie stumbled, her thoughts coming out in spurts.

"We did," Jude confirmed dimly.

"Oh. My. God," Sadie said slowly, then whispered frantically, "You had sex with Tommy?"

Jude bit her lip, not wanting to answer, but let out a feeble, "Yes."

"Oh my god!" Sadie screamed. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my—"

"Sadie, will you please stop?" Jude asked irritably. "I feel bad enough, okay? And that's only half the story."

"What else happened?" Sadie questioned, trying to calm down.

"Afterwards, we had this huge fight and I told him that I wanted him out of my life. That I didn't want to be friends anymore—that we're done."

"Wow, Jude. That's kind of…severe, don't you think?" Sadie asked in surprise.

"Severe? Sadie, he's engaged! And I'm dating someone else! And I slept with him! Now I'm supposed to hang out with him like nothing ever happened?" Jude shouted heatedly.

"Whoa, calm down!" Sadie ordered.

Jude breathed deeply. "Seriously, Sadie, I can't eat or sleep ever since that morning. He's been calling and leaving me messages but I just keep deleting them without even listening. Or turning my phone off. And today I felt so sick, I had to leave work."

"Do you regret what you told him?" Sadie asked directly.

Jude took a minute before answering. "No, I don't. You were right—we can't ever just be friends. All this time, I was lying to myself…I thought I could handle it, but I couldn't," she faded, tears welling up as she spoke. "The truth is that I have feelings for him. Feelings that I shouldn't have…I put on this show of being this great friend but I was falling for him. I tried not to, I really did, but I felt like I was fifteen all over again."

"Jude, you two have a history. How could you not feel something for him?" Sadie asked in an attempt to make her feel better.

"You don't get it, Sadie," Jude said, her tears falling freely, "The worst part of the whole thing is that I wanted it to happen. I wanted to be with him, even if it was only for one night…and it just…it felt so right…"

"Oh, Jude," Sadie consoled, listening to her sister's confession.

"I hate myself for feeling those things…but Sadie, it was so amazing…and it's never been like that for me. Not with Rob, not with anyone."

"Do you think…maybe he felt that too?" Sadie posed skeptically.

"He didn't. He can't," Jude answered dismissively through tears. "He already made his decision on who he wants to be with—forever. And it's not me."

Sadie took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm not going to disagree with you, Jude—you know I think the two of you could never just be friends—but part of me saw how happy you were once he was back in your life. You were happier than you've been in years."

"But it was all a lie," Jude replied through tears. "I was happy believing in something that wasn't real."

"But you were happy nonetheless. He made you happy, regardless of what went on inside your head," Sadie said flatly.

"Yeah…" Jude agreed softly, sniffing and wiping her eyes. "I'm gonna go, Sadie. My head hurts…I need to lay down again..."

"Okay. But you're still coming home next weekend for the wedding, right?" Sadie asked in a panic.

"Of course, Sadie. Rob and I will both be there."

"Good," Sadie replied in relief. "I think the weekend at home might be good for you, Jude. It'll give you a chance to spend some time removed from everything and be with your boyfriend. The one you're supposed to be with, remember?"

"Yeah…maybe you're right. I'll be home on Friday night, so I'll see you then?" Jude asked.

"I'll see you then. And Jude, please don't be so hard on yourself. Your life will go on whether Tommy is in it or not," Sadie pleaded before hanging up. "Everyone makes mistakes. You just have to learn from them and move on."

"Thanks, Sades," Jude replied feebly.

"And please eat some dinner," Sadie added.

"Okay, okay…good night, Sadie," Jude said before hanging up.

She sighed and leaned back on her bed, head on her pillow, and closed her eyes to stop the tears from flowing again.


	17. Chapter 17

_A/N: Just a quick note--many of you commented for the last chapter that you think Jude is pregnant. I can tell you that she's not. She genuinely was upset and it was making her sick. Besides the fact that I don't really think you start feeling sick that quickly after you get pregnant, but hey, I've never been pregnant (thankfully!) so you never know! Regardless, she's not pregnant, but there is plenty of drama coming without that :) I promise! Thanks again for all of your reviews--I love to hear what you think!_

**This scene begins at Sadie and Kwest's wedding the next weekend...**

* * *

Standing in the bridal suite waiting for the ceremony to begin, Jude smoothed out her skirt and quickly made her way over to help her anxious sister. 

"Jude! I need a hand here," Sadie said, trying to balance on one foot while slipping her shoe on.

"Here, just lean on me," Jude said, rushing in next to her so Sadie could hold her shoulder while putting on her other shoe.

"Thanks. This dress is way too heavy for any kind of physical movement," Sadie complained.

"What happens when you have to go to the bathroom?" Jude asked candidly.

Sadie smirked. "That's why I have you, right? You can help me."

"In the bathroom? Oh geez, Sadie…"

"Jude, I'll do it for you when you get married. It's just to make sure my dress doesn't fall in the toilet."

"Great," Jude said with an eye roll. "I'm cutting off all of your liquid intake for the evening."

Sadie laughed lightly, gazing at her reflection in the mirror.

"You look amazing, Sadie," Jude remarked softly.

"Thank you," Sadie replied with a smile. "I have to say, that dress doesn't look half bad on you."

"Thanks," Jude said, looking down at her light blue two-piece maid of honor gown. "Are you nervous?"

"A little," Sadie admitted, "but more excited. I can't believe I'm getting married!"

"I know, I can't believe it either," Jude replied with a smile. "You used to put mom's table cloth over your head and pretend to be a bride."

Sadie laughed. "That's right, I did. Well, I think I like this look a little more."

Just then, the door opened and her father entered.

"Wow, Sadie, you look beautiful," Stuart said, watching her in awe.

"Thanks, Dad," Sadie replied, turning towards him with a smile. "Is it time?"

"It is," Stuart confirmed, walking up to Sadie and holding up his arm. "Shall we?"

Sadie smiled widely, exhilaration all over her face. "We shall."

----------------------

"And do you, Sadie Harrison….."

Standing up beside her sister, Jude couldn't help but get emotional at the scene. Her sister, glowing, in her stunning white dress, was looking at her soon-to-be husband, her good friend Kwest. It was like a scene out of a fairy tale. They both looked so happy, so thrilled, to be taking this step together.

Jude couldn't help but think about her own future, her own destiny. Would she be standing up there, in that same church, reciting the same vows to someone? Would she look that happy, would she beam like Sadie? Would she know in her heart that there was no one else she wanted to be with for the rest of her life? Her gaze fell upon the seated crowd before her and her eyes met Rob's. He gave her a small smile, and she grinned back at him, but couldn't help but feel a twang of regret knowing that he wasn't the one she was envisioning up there with her.

"I now pronounce you, husband and wife! You may kiss the bride."

Sadie squealed in excitement as Kwest lifted her veil and gently kissed her, as the crowd broke out in applause. Jude clapped excitedly too, feeling tears come to her eyes.

------------------------

Walking into the party with Rob, Jude gazed in astonishment at the room. There were roses and candles everywhere with a band softly playing music behind a dance floor. It was spectacular—the perfect setting for Sadie's wedding. She held Rob's hand tighter and walked in, scanning the crowd for any familiar faces she had yet to see.

"Oh my god. Is that you, dude?"

Jude quickly turned around, recognizing that voice. "Speed!"

"Hey!" he said, giving her a hug. "Wow, it's been like…forever…"

"I know," she agreed, looking at him. "How are you?"

"Can't complain," he replied with a shrug. "Still doing the whole recording thing with Kwest."

"I heard. He told me you guys just got back from your 5th tour. That's huge!"

"Yeah, it was cool," Speed replied humbly. "But not as cool as our first one…"

Jude smiled widely, remembering their days on the bus together. Her memories were interrupted as she realized that Rob was standing next to her.

"Oh sorry, Vincent Spiederman, this is my boyfriend, Rob."

"Hey, nice to meet you," Speed said, leaning in to shake his hand.

"You too. So you two used to work together?" Rob asked.

Jude and Speed both grinned automatically. "Yeah," Jude confirmed. "Speed was part of my band."

"Oh, come on now, dude," Speed said, putting his arm around Jude. "You know we were more than that."

Rob looked between them in confusion.

"Yeah…we sort of…dated…" Jude admitted quietly, "But it was awhile ago—I was seventeen."

Rob nodded skeptically, clearly not happy with the subject of ex-boyfriends.

"Your girlfriend here had quite the set of pipes back in the day," Speed added, "although I hear you're no longer a working musician."

Jude shook her head. "Nope, I'm taking a semi-permanent hiatus."

Speed laughed a little as they heard someone come up behind them.

"It can't be...I think I'm seeing a ghost…it's the ghost of Christmas past…"

Jude turned around with a big smile. "Jamie!"

He embraced her immediately, a slightly stunned expression on his face. "Jude! I can't believe you're here…you're…alive…"

"Of course I'm alive," she said, smiling at him. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Jude." A girl next to Jamie lightly tugged on his jacket, causing him to turn towards her.

"Oh, Jude, this is Becky. My girlfriend," Jamie said, wrapping his arm around her.

"Hi," Jude said, a bit of surprise in her voice. "And this is Rob, my boyfriend."

"Hey," Rob said. "And how do you guys know each other?"

Jamie looked at Jude in shock. "Jude! Please, tell me you two just got together."

"Not exactly…more like a year," Jude replied shamefully.

"A whole year! And my name didn't come up once!" Jamie exclaimed.

"I'm sorry. Really, I am," she said, before turning towards Rob. "Jamie and I grew up together. We've been best friends for years."

"Best friends? I thought you were best friends with Tommy," Rob replied as a hush grew over the group.

Jamie gasped. "Excuse me? I was replaced by Little Tommy Q?"

"No, Jamie," Jude said quickly, turning a light shade of red at Rob's response. "Tommy was just my producer. We were friends, but Jamie was my best friend. _Is_ my best friend."

Rob nodded. "So you two…were just friends then?"

Jude looked uneasily at Jamie, who looked equally as uncomfortable with the question.

"Well…" Jamie started.

"We sort of dated too," Jude finished. "But again, I was sixteen."

"So was I," Jamie retorted, turning towards Becky. "And it was over. Really fast."

"Because Jude wanted me," Speed said, reentering the conversation.

"Okay…let's just end this conversation now, shall we?" Jude suggested, seeing Rob's disgruntled expression.

After reuniting with the rest of SME and a few of Sadie's friends, Jude took a seat at one of the tables with Rob. She watched as Sadie came out on the dance floor with Kwest for their first dance. Photos were snapped and the room was at a hush as they danced, happily smiling and holding each other.

Out of the quiet, a light ringing was heard from Jude's purse. She quickly picked up her purse from the table, pulled out her phone, looked at it for a second, and pushed a button to end the call. Without another word, she put the phone back in her purse and turned her attention back towards the dancing couple.

"Who was that?" Rob asked, leaning in closer to her.

"Oh, no one," she replied evenly, keeping her eyes focused on the bride and groom. "Just a wrong number."

Rob leaned back in his chair, content with her response, and transferred his attention back to Sadie and Kwest.

Sixty seconds later, her phone sounded again. Without pulling the phone out of her bag, she dug her hand inside and ended the call.

"Why don't you just pick it up and tell them it's a wrong number?" Rob asked, watching her.

"They'll get the picture. I'm at my sister's wedding, I don't need to be answering wrong numbers."

"Why don't you just turn off your phone then?" Rob questioned.

"I can't. My editor is supposed to call to talk about my next article. I can't miss his call."

Rob nodded warily, leaning back into his chair once more, as her phone sounded yet again.

As she went to grab it, Rob quickly leaned forward and grabbed her purse from the table.

"I'll tell them," he offered, picking the phone out of her purse.

"No, Rob—I don't think that's—" she started, her eyes growing wide in panic, watching him examine the phone in bewilderment.

"Tommy?" he asked, looking at her confusedly.


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N: Hi guys--I have the next chapter all ready to go early, so here it is! This is the last chapter in Toronto--after this, Jude and Rob head back to New York. So enjoy the rest of the wedding, but don't worry, there's plenty of drama to come back in the States :) Thanks for all of your reviews--you guys all totally motivate me to keep going. It's really great, so please, keep 'em coming!_

**We pick up right where we left off, with Rob discovering who was calling Jude's cell phone :-)**

* * *

"Tommy?" Rob asked, looking at her confusedly. 

Jude opened her mouth to explain but no words came out. She watched as Rob opened her phone and brought it to his ear.

"Hey, Tommy," he said into the phone. He eyed her suspiciously as she felt herself beginning to sweat. She watched him closely, her heart pounding, as he listened to something Tommy was saying.

"Yeah, okay. Hold on one second, she's right here," Rob said, cocking his head at her and holding her phone out wordlessly.

She swallowed nervously and took the phone, holding it up to her ear and turning away from Rob's intense gaze.

"What?" she asked quietly, her voice unsteady.

"Jude, we need to talk," Tommy said quickly.

"Tommy, I'm at my sister's wedding. She's having her first dance with Kwest. Now is not the best time," she said curtly.

"Okay, so when is a good time? You haven't returned any of my calls."

"Oh right, that might be because I don't want to talk to you. And the only reason why I'm talking to you now is because my boyfriend picked up my phone."

"Jude—please. Just meet with me. When you get back. I just…I have to talk to you," he pleaded.

She considered his appeal briefly, then shook her head. "I can't. Please, don't call me again."

At that, she slammed the phone shut, ending the call. She took a deep breath and waited a moment before reopening the phone and turning it off entirely.

"I thought you needed to talk to your editor," Rob said skeptically, watching her every move.

She turned back towards him, trying to maintain composure. "He can leave a message."

"What's going on, Jude?" Rob asked. "Why were you not answering Tommy's calls?"

She looked down uncomfortably, trying to soothe her nerves. "Because…we're not friends anymore."

"What? When did this happen?" Rob questioned in disbelief.

Jude looked up at him sincerely. "Rob, please, I don't want to talk about it. Tommy…he just…we just…I'm just done with him. That's all."

"That's all? Come on, what happened?"

"Rob, I'm asking you. As my boyfriend. Please. I don't want to talk about it," Jude said shortly. "I'm going to get a drink. Do you want anything?" she asked, standing up abruptly.

He silently shook his head as she took off towards the bar. He watched her leave, tapping his fingers against the table with his face scrunched up in thought.

---------

Standing at the bar staring into her cosmopolitan, she pushed the maraschino cherry around with a straw, replaying the last ten minutes in her head. She tried to calm down, breathing deeply and closing her eyes to relax. As she opened her eyes, she looked up to see Jamie standing next to her. He scrutinized her appearance and nudged her.

"Let's dance," he said.

"I don't think that's such a great idea," she protested, as he dragged her onto the dance floor.

"Too bad, Harrison. Looks like you could use it," he said, pulling her in to the slow dance.

She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, avoiding his eyes.

"So," he started, "do you want to tell me why you look like your dog just died?"

"Not really," she muttered quietly.

"It is your sister's wedding, Jude," Jamie remarked, swaying to the music. "It's supposed to be a happy day."

"I know," she replied. "It's just…have you ever felt like every decision you've ever made in your life has been wrong?"

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Not _every_ one of my decisions, but I'm sure I made a lot of bad decisions. Why?"

She shook her head. "I'm just not sure how I got here."

Jamie smirked. "And you think I know? One minute I'm doing A&R for G-Major and then the next, I'm out in LA pitching new artists to investors."

Jude nodded, remembering his current job of managing a small recording studio in California.

"Do you ever regret any of it though? How you got where you are now?" she asked hesitantly.

He thought for a second, still swaying to the music. "You know, I don't. Not everything has been easy and I've definitely made my share of mistakes, but if I hadn't done all of those stupid things, I wouldn't be here. And I'm happy now. I have Becky, the studio is starting to grow—things are falling into place."

She nodded slowly, taking it all in.

He watched her closely. "Jude, I don't know what's going on, but I do know you. I know that even though you make stupid decisions like the rest of us, you always do what's in your heart. It's all part of Jude Harrison being true to herself."

She was quiet for a few moments, considering his words, then looked up at him. "Thanks, Jamie."

"No problem. That's what your 'supposed' best friend is here for," he replied.

"You _are_ my best friend," she said. "I promise."

"Okay, okay," he said with a grin, pulling her in and swaying to the music.

-------------

As the clock ticked closer to midnight, the party came to an end. After hugging her grandmother goodbye, Jude collapsed at the nearest table, putting her feet up on one of the chairs.

"Make room…the lady in the 600 pound dress needs to sit," Sadie said, approaching Jude's chair. Jude quickly removed her feet from the chair so that Sadie and all 600 pounds of her dress could sit down. As she fell into the chair, Sadie sighed deeply.

"You have no idea how good it feels to sit down."

"Actually, I do," Jude replied with a knowing grin. "Sadie, every time I went to sit down in the last three hours, you conveniently had to go to the bathroom."

"Sorry," Sadie said remorsefully. "They passed out champagne during dinner and it went right through me."

"Clearly," Jude said with a smirk. "Where's the groom?"

Sadie turned behind her, eyeing Kwest on the far side of the dance floor saying goodbye to an older couple. "Hopefully getting a nice chunk of change as a wedding gift from those old people."

"Sadie!" Jude exclaimed.

"What? I'm just being honest," Sadie explained. "When there's a room full of people at your wedding that you don't know, you better hope they give you lots of money on their way out."

"Wow, marriage has tainted you already," Jude muttered sarcastically.

Sadie sighed, turning back towards Jude. "So, where's your boyfriend?"

"Ummm…I think he's outside talking to some people…" Jude said vaguely, not wanting to discuss their little spat earlier in the night and how they hadn't spoken two words since.

"Did you two have fun?" Sadie asked.

"Yeah," Jude replied, trying to sound upbeat. "It was a great wedding."

"It was, wasn't it?" a male voice came from next to them. Jude and Sadie looked up to see Kwest smiling down at them.

Sadie smiled widely as Kwest sat down next to her, grabbing her hand.

"So, Jude," Kwest started, "I hear you've had quite the interesting few weeks."

"Kwest!" Sadie yelled, hitting his arm.

Jude turned towards Sadie with a grimace. "You told him?"

"I had to. We're married. I can't have any secrets," Sadie defended uneasily.

"Even if they're my secrets?" Jude asked.

"Jude, don't worry. Who am I going to tell?" Kwest asked.

Jude shrugged. "It's not that…it's just…more people thinking I'm a horrible person."

"Hey, I don't think that," Kwest said sincerely. "You made a mistake. Besides, the second I heard you two were hanging out again, I would've bet this wedding gift that something would happen."

"Seriously?" Jude asked, looking at him skeptically.

"Definitely. Jude, I was trapped in that studio with the two of you. I know what happens when you hang out. Sparks fly," he said with a nod.

Sadie spoke up quietly. "You know, we did invite him this weekend."

Jude looked at them both in surprise. "You did?"

"Yeah," Kwest replied. "I told him that we'd have a seat for him and that fiancée of his. He was supposed to come but he called this week to say he couldn't."

"Did he say why?" Jude asked timidly.

Kwest shook his head. "Nope. He just said something came up and he was sorry he couldn't make it."

Jude remained quiet, suddenly feeling guilty.

Sadie saw her reaction and said, "It might've just been coincidence."

Jude shook her head. "It wasn't. He's not here because of me," she said. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to throw off your wedding plans…"

"Hey, don't worry about it. He was a last-minute addition anyway," Sadie replied.

Jude sighed deeply. "It doesn't matter. It's your wedding night, so we're not talking about this. Don't you have a honeymoon suite to go to?"

"Ahhh, we do," Kwest said, his eyebrows raised at Sadie.

Sadie raised her eyebrows too and quickly stood up. "Come to think of it, I'm tired. Maybe we should…"

"Go up to our room…yeah…." Kwest said impatiently. "Our room with the hot tub."

"And on that overly graphic note," Jude said, standing up too, "good night, you two. Congratulations and have fun on your honeymoon," she said, with a hug to each of them.

"Thanks, Jude," Kwest said, turning to say goodnight to the remaining guests.

Sadie looked at Jude with a smile. "I'll talk to you next week when we get back?"

"Definitely," Jude agreed, pulling her sister in for a hug. "Congratulations, Sadie. I'm really happy for you."

"Thank you," Sadie said. "And how about as a wedding gift, you try to have a low drama week while we're gone?"

Jude laughed lightly and nodded. "It's a deal."


	19. Chapter 19

_A/N: I'm sorry for the delay, but here's the next chapter! I hope you like it, I'm sort of iffy about it...thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing. You guys all rock._

**This chapter begins a few days after the wedding, once Rob and Jude have returned to New York. More info is included in the first chapter...Enjoy :-)**

* * *

Standing outside Cleo's, Jude paused before opening the front door. Her heart was pounding in her chest at the uncertainty before her. She and Rob had left Toronto just a few days earlier and while they had resumed conversation, there was clearly tension in the air. Jude blamed it on being absorbed in a new article she was writing but they both knew that there was more to it than that. More that was unspoken, something that was askew between them. 

She nervously stepped foot inside the restaurant, the warm lighting and familiar atmosphere bringing her an immediate sense of comfort. Across the room, she spotted Rob waiting for her at their usual table. She took a deep breath and walked towards him, saying a quick hello before taking her seat across the table.

"Thanks for coming to dinner. I know you've been pretty busy," Rob said.

"It's no problem," she responded, folding the napkin on her lap, "I needed the break from my article. And besides, I haven't seen you since we left Toronto a few days ago."

He nodded in agreement, turning to read his menu awkwardly.

"So…how have your classes been going this week?" she asked, setting her menu down on the table.

"Pretty good. That extra credit assignment I did for Economics was really helpful. The professor bumped my grade up a little."

"That's great, Rob."

"Yeah, it is."

She smiled faintly, silence setting in on their conversation. Jude glanced down at her menu again, though she already knew what she wanted to order.

"How's the article coming along?" he asked, breaking the quiet.

"Fine," she replied, looking up again at him. "The interview went well yesterday, so I just need to put together all of my notes."

"And when is it due?" he asked.

"Monday morning. 9am sharp," she replied with a sigh. "So I'm thinking I'll have to work on it for most of the weekend."

"So you won't be around at all?" Rob asked tentatively.

"I'll be around…just kind of…busy," she replied vaguely. "Maybe we can do dinner or something."

"Yeah, okay," he replied, looking back at her nervously, knowing there was plenty that needed to be discussed but wasn't. "Jude, I think…we need to talk about some things…"

Her expression immediately changed more serious. "I know. We probably should've talked earlier, it's just been so crazy—"

"I know."

"With work and your classes, I guess our schedules weren't really in synch," she attempted to justify.

"I know," he agreed, sighing. "Jude, what I want to say is—"

"Can I take your orders?" a girl standing above them asked impatiently, interrupting the flow of their impending conversation.

Slightly flustered, Jude swallowed her edginess and replied, "I'll have the chicken marsala."

"And you?" the girl asked Rob, scribbling on her notepad.

"The same," he said, handing her his menu. She took Jude's menu as well and stomped away.

Jude took a deep breath and looked at him again. "You were saying…"

"Right," Rob began again. "Jude, what I want to say is that I feel like you've been different for the last couple of weeks. You've been…distant…reserved. I'm not really sure what it is, something's just been off. I want to help, I want to be there for you, but I honestly don't have any clue what's going on and I feel like you're shutting me out."

She looked down at her lap feeling guilty. He was genuinely concerned about her, wanting to make everything in her life right, but she knew that he was unable to make the memories of her actions disappear.

"Will you let me in? Let me help you?" he asked, his eyes revealing softness and compassion.

She sighed deeply and looked into his eyes, speaking softly. "Rob, I know you want to help and I know you care about me. But I'm just…going through something right now that I need to work out on my own."

"Is it about us?" he asked frankly, his voice revealing his nerves.

She leaned back in her chair. "It's about…everything," she said honestly, noting his unsettled expression. "A lot has changed in my life over the last few years since college, and I just want to make sure that I'm on the right path. My job, my apartment…everything."

"What happened to make you reevaluate your whole life?" he asked directly, staring at her. "Was it your fight with Tommy?"

Her eyes flickered upwards at him, a mix of panic and pain reflecting in her gaze. "Rob, don't."

"Don't what? Don't bring up Tommy? Don't ask you about what happened with him?" he started, eyeing her reaction. "Jude, I really thought we were close. I thought that you and I had something special…but knowing that you don't trust me enough to tell me what went on between the two of you, it kills me."

"Rob, we do have something special, but this isn't something that needs to be discussed. Tommy and I had a fight and we're not friends anymore. That's it."

"What was the fight about?" Rob questioned.

Jude swallowed hard and then replied, "Nothing, it's not important...Rob, please, it's something I'm trying to move on from and forget about."

"Well clearly, you're not forgetting about it. Whatever happened with you and him, it sparked this whole change in you and I wish I knew what the hell it was."

"Rob, you have to trust me on this…"

"How can I trust you if you can't trust me enough to be honest about it?" he asked, looking directly into her eyes.

He was right and she knew it. How could she possibly ask him to trust her after everything she had done?

She took a deep breath and looked at him sullenly, softly muttering, "I'm sorry."

He slumped back in his chair. "Well, I don't know what to do then. I can't help you if you won't be honest with me. And I'm not so sure I want to help now."

She looked up at him in alarm, tears in her eyes. "What do you mean?"

He leaned over the table, cupped his hands over hers on the table, and said quietly, "Maybe we _both_ need some time to think about things."

She felt the tears cloud over her eyes at the sound of his words. "Are you…are you dumping me?"

"No," he answered quickly. "I just think maybe some time apart would be good for us. You're obviously dealing with some personal issues and I'm just not so sure where I stand in your life."

"You're my boyfriend," she tried to counter, wiping her cheek to push away the salty tears.

"But you're not treating me like I am," he replied sincerely. "I want you to be able to trust me and until you can, I could use some space to think about things too."

Fear suddenly took over her system at the thought of losing him. She needed him—he had stuck with her through everything over the last year and she knew they could get through this stumbling block too.

"No," she argued vehemently, shaking her head as the tears rolled down her cheeks. "I don't want to take a break."

"Jude, two minutes ago, you told me that you're going through something that I can't help with. And one minute ago, you said that you can't tell me what happened with you and Tommy," he explained as gently as he could. "I don't want to do this either, but I think it's probably the best thing."

"I didn't mean to ruin everything," she said regretfully, the tears now rapidly falling.

"You didn't ruin anything," he replied. "I'm still here. I just want you to be happy, Jude, but you need to figure out what—or who—is going to make you happy."

She looked up at him through tear-filled eyes. "But you make me happy."

He shook his head, "Not enough for you to let me in."

She remained quiet at his response, mulling over the idea while trying to control the tears flowing from her eyes. She didn't know why she was so scared to accept that his suggestion was actually the right thing to do, but she was. She didn't want to let go.

"Can we still talk?" she asked softly.

"Of course," he responded positively. "You're still my girlfriend, this will just be us taking a little time apart. Like a little vacation. Is that alright?"

She nodded wordlessly, as silence set in over the table. Jude wiped her remaining tears, as the waitress brought out the two plates, setting them abruptly in front of each of them.

As Rob quietly began eating, she gazed around the room, watching the couples chatting and laughing at the neighboring tables. She couldn't help but be struck by another wave of sadness, suddenly feeling more alone than she had ever felt before.


	20. Chapter 20

_Happy Columbus Day! Here's my part of the celebration...the next chapter! Enjoy:-)_

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Sitting under the dim light of the neighborhood bar, Jude stared into her glass, half-filled with a clear liquid. She didn't know exactly what was in the glass. She had ordered something—anything—that would make her forget who she was and how her life was falling apart.

It was Thursday night—two nights after her dinner with Rob and five days after Sadie and Kwest's wedding. And twelve days after The Fray concert with Tommy.

It had been exactly five days, three hours and six minutes since she had last heard from Tommy. He hadn't attempted to contact her, not once, since the wedding. She had managed to successfully push him away, as opposed to Rob, who she wanted back in her life, but who was only hanging on by a thin thread. They had exchanged brief emails earlier in the day, but he had failed to return any of her phone calls.

As she walked home from work that night, she was hit with the realization that she was losing the two people who meant the most to her. Stopping dead in her tracks, she saw a bar about five blocks from her apartment and decided to drown her sorrows, rather than sit alone in her apartment in a pool of tears.

Circling the liquid around in her glass, she leaned forward and took another gulp, feeling it burn her throat on the way down. She squeezed her eyes shut, embracing the pain of the drink, knowing that with each sip, she was one step closer to forgetting everything.

There were a few other patrons around her, sitting at the bar or the tables, but she ignored them all. Her concentration remained steady on the glass and of memories of what could've been.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something stir near her. Someone had sat down a few chairs away and she heard them quietly order a drink from the bartender. She reluctantly looked over, stealing a quick glance at the other patron and immediately recognized the figure before her.

"Jessica?" she asked quietly, watching as the woman neatly placed the gin and tonic on a napkin.

In a daze, Jessica slowly turned towards her. Jude scrutinized her appearance—her hair and clothing were impeccable, but her eyes were drawn and tired.

Jessica's mouth opened at the sight of Jude sitting three seats down from her, flustered at her presence.

"Oh, ummm, Jude, right?" Jessica replied, taking a sip of her drink.

"What are you doing here?" Jude asked inquisitively, ignoring the fact that she had forgotten her name.

"I could ask you the same thing," Jessica responded, turning towards her.

Feeling the curiosity getting the best of her, Jude continued, trying to act concerned. "Is everything…okay? Are you…okay?"

"Fine, I'm just fine," Jessica said quickly. "And you?"

"Oh yeah, everything's great," Jude lied. She knew Jessica could read right through her, as she could with her.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Jessica asked.

Jude sighed, feeling the alcohol get the best of her judgment and the truth come forward. "I have no idea," she replied softly, staring into her drink.

Jessica smirked quietly. "Join the club."

Jude looked up at Jessica in surprise. "You…don't know where Tommy is?"

"Not really," Jessica said casually, taking a swig of her drink. "He said he would meet me for dinner tonight, but he didn't show. He left me some vague voicemail about how sorry he was, but he gave no reason and no explanation."

Jude didn't know what to say. She wanted to tell Jessica something positive to pick up her spirits, but she could only feel the incessant guilt that had been with her for the past two weeks creep up yet again.

They sat in silence for a few moments, both sipping their drinks.

Out of the quiet, Jessica turned towards Jude and said, "Can I ask you something?"

Jude hesitantly turned towards her, scared as to what the question would be. "Umm, sure."

"Was Tommy…has he always been like this?"

"Like what?" Jude questioned.

"Like…mysterious and secretive, confusing even."

Jude couldn't help but chuckle a little. "I'd say…confusing is his middle name. Mysterious and secretive—those would be his nicknames."

Jessica nodded, gazing back across the bar in thought. "In the beginning, things were so good. He was always there whenever I needed him and I felt like he would do anything for me. Granted, he was always a little withdrawn, not ever wanting to talk much, but he was really attentive and sweet. He used to pick up roses on his way home even if there was no occasion."

Jude closed her eyes and took another gulp of her drink, trying to avoid listening to the details of their relationship.

"And then…things just changed," Jessica continued. "He changed. He asked me to marry him and then he pulled away. Like he didn't want anything to do with me. What did I do?"

Jessica looked at Jude, as though she was expecting a response. But Jude was staring blindly into her glass, listening but not reacting.

"I know he spent a lot of time with you," Jessica said flatly. "You two have been close. Do you know why he just suddenly pulled away?"

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Jude turned towards Jessica. "Honestly? We never really talked about you."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah…sort of," Jude answered. "He wasn't really open about you or your relationship, so it wasn't ever discussed."

Jessica turned back towards her drink, taking in the information that Jude had just said. "Never?"

Jude reluctantly shook her head, as they both took another sip of their drinks. She couldn't help but feel sorry for Jessica, as she stared disappointedly into her drink.

"Hey," Jude said, turning towards her, "don't let Tommy upset you. He just…he does this. He gets all weird sometimes. It's like he's not always speaking the same language."

"Yeah…" Jessica replied vaguely. "He's like two different people. The nice, caring Tom and then the distant, cold one."

"And have you also met the nit-picky and perfectionist Tommy?" Jude added.

"I believe I have…that's the one who won't let me touch any of his hair products in the bathroom," Jessica replied as they both laughed a little. They quickly turned quiet again, Jude feeling the awkwardness of the situation.

"Jessica, can I ask _you_ something?" Jude posed uncertainly, swiveling on her chair to face her.

"Sure," Jessica said, taking a big gulp of her drink.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Jude asked frankly.

"What do you mean?" Jessica said, looking at Jude with a puzzled expression.

"I mean, you've been kind of…well…a bitch to me," Jude said bluntly, letting the alcohol speak her mind for her.

Jessica immediately spit the mouthful of gin and tonic back into her glass as she burst into laughter. She put her drink down and leaned over the chair, breaking out in hysterics. Feeling like she missed something, Jude gazed at Jessica in confusion. Jessica looked up and saw her blank expression, trying to calm down.

"Sorry…it's just, I don't think anyone's ever actually said that to me," Jessica explained through giggles.

"Well, it's true, isn't it?" Jude asked seriously, taken aback by Jessica's reaction. "I mean, you did call me 'The Coffee Girl.'"

"True," Jessica admitted. "Honestly? Ever since I heard Tom was hanging out with this girl from his past, I couldn't help but hate you. He was suddenly rushing off to dinners or concerts with you, instead of with me. You were spending more time with my fiancé than I was."

Jude immediately blushed, turning away as Jessica continued.

"What really got me was how he acted when your name came up or when he was making plans with you. He could be all distant and weird with me, but then, boom—your name was mentioned and he's happy. So I was a bitch. But in my book, you were the bitch," Jessica stated simply, taking a large gulp of her drink.

Jude's jaw fell open at Jessica's disclosure. She was completely shocked, unsure of what to say.

"But…you didn't even know me," Jude replied. "And I…we…I didn't mean to…"

"I know," Jessica said, cutting off her jumbled response. "I know you didn't mean to, but that's what happened. And I didn't want to get to know you. Would you want to snuggle up to the girl who was snuggling up to your fiancé?"

Jude looked down, feeling humiliated and even more guilty than she had before. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault. He didn't have to exclude me, but he did. It was his choice," Jessica said definitely, taking another sip of her drink.

Cautiously, Jude asked the question that had been on her mind all night. "But…you're still engaged, right?"

"Of course," Jessica answered quickly. "We already paid for the wedding, my parents would kill me if we ever rethought things."

Jude nodded in understanding, as Jessica added, "Besides, we've been together for awhile now and have gotten through plenty of setbacks. I love him and he loves me--that's really all that matters. And every couple has issues, right?"

"Right," Jude agreed softly, seeing Jessica's hopeful expression. In that moment, as she looked at Jessica, she actually hoped, for her sake, that she was right.

"And why am I being so nice to you now? Because clearly, we have more in common than we probably realize. We're both sitting here moping over how stupid men are."

"Very true," Jude said. "They really are all idiots, aren't they?"

"Absolutely. And they'd be totally lost without us," Jessica added.

"Exactly," Jude agreed. "They just need to learn to appreciate us more."

"Definitely," Jessica said, holding up her glass with the remaining sip in the bottom. "Here's to the stupidity that is men and the incredible women who have enough patience to deal with them."

"Here, here," Jude said, tapping her glass with Jessica's before downing the rest of her drink.


	21. Chapter 21

A few nights later, Jude sat on her couch in her favorite pair of sweats, staring at a blank computer screen. She heard the light rain hitting her window outside, as she attempted to write a few lines of her article.

"It all began in 1998 when four friends decided to form a band."

Scanning her first line over quickly, she groaned and hit delete, clearing the screen.

_Too cheesy. _

"The music scene in New York City welcomes its newest member, The Blazing Cannons—"

_No, delete again. Too cliché._

She had been trying to write the article all week and had been sitting in the same position on her couch for at least three hours. It was Saturday night – a night when she should be out to dinner with Rob, but instead, was staring at her computer trying desperately to keep her focus on the article. She was having difficulty concentrating on the task at hand, not being able to escape the same lingering sense of sadness she had endured for the past couple of weeks.

Trying to clear her mind, Jude took a deep breath and stretched, her eyes returning to the screen. But behind it, she couldn't help but notice her cell phone sitting peacefully on the table. The power was on but it had not rung in hours. Rob was out with friends from school, Sadie was still on her honeymoon, and Tommy…well, she still hadn't heard one peep from Tommy since the wedding. Not one phone call, no emails, no text messages—nothing.

"Good," she said aloud to herself with a reassuring nod.

But she couldn't help but feel upset at the thought of not hearing from him again. She had pushed for him to leave her alone, but she couldn't believe it was actually happening. Was he really giving up? Would she really never see him again? She felt a lump form in her throat at the thought that all of her resistance had actually proven to be successful.

Not letting the tears fall, she stood up, shaking her head to rid herself of the guilt.

"I did what I had to do. It was all necessary," she reminded herself aloud, pacing the living room. "He can't be part of my life anymore. He's with Jessica. She loves him. He loves her. She said so herself! So what if they're going through a rough patch? He asked _her_ to marry him and they are going to be together. I just need to let it go…to let him go…"

She suddenly stopped pacing as an idea came to her. Her eyes drifted back to the coffee table, where her notebook and pen sat with all of her notes for the article. She bit her lip in anticipation, the wheels spinning rapidly in her head.

In a matter of seconds, she bolted back across the room, grabbing the notebook and pen. She slumped down on her living room floor, feeling the rough carpet against the back of her legs, tore out a blank page from the book and touched the pen to the page.

As the ink met the paper, she began to write furiously, line after line, one verse, then two, and then a chorus. Every emotion was transferred through the pen—every thought, every fear, her need to find closure with her decision. The clocked ticked later into the night, but she didn't care. The music had suddenly taken over her whole system—grabbing hold of her and not letting her go until the song was complete.

Two hours later, she stood up and walked quickly to her bedroom, towards the closet. She carefully opened the door, peering into the dark corner, knowing that her long lost friend was back there, waiting for her. Reaching in, she fumbled through hanging clothes, her hand finally resting on her destination. She felt her heart race as she gripped the smooth surface, bringing it towards her. Suddenly, the moonlight shone on the edge of the wooden surface, emerging fully from the closet.

_My guitar_, she thought, looking at it warmly like a gift on Christmas morning. She brought it closer to her, examining the strings and running her hands over it. She couldn't help but smile, feeling comforted and soothed just by the feel of it.

She sat on the floor of her room with the torn out notebook page covered in words, and lightly began playing. Her eyes lit up hearing the sound and feeling her fingers move gingerly against the strings. She started playing the song that was in her head, feeling her way around the chords and jotting down notes as she continued.

An hour later, her hands shaking from writing and then playing so intensely, she let out a huge breath and closed her eyes. Letting the emotions rush back to her, she began quietly playing the song that had invaded her heart.

_Of all the things I've believed in  
I just want to get it over with  
Tears form behind my eyes  
But I do not cry  
Counting the days that pass me by  
_

_Goodbye to you  
Goodbye to everything I thought I knew  
You were the one I loved  
The one thing that I tried to hold on toI still get lost in your eyes  
And it seems that I can't live a day without you  
Closing my eyes and you chase my thoughts away  
To a place where I am blinded by the light  
But it's not right _

Goodbye to you  
Goodbye to everything I thought I knew  
You were the one I loved  
The one thing that I tried to hold on to

And it hurts to want everything and nothing at the same time  
I want what's yours and I want what's mine  
I want you  
But I'm not giving in this time

Goodbye to you  
Goodbye to everything I thought I knew  
You were the one I loved  
The one thing that I tried to hold on to

And when the stars fall  
I will lie awake  
You're my shooting star

Flattening out the crumpled piece of paper with the lyrics, she couldn't help but smile. The sadness was still there but she felt calmer, more relaxed. All she needed was to get it out—get the music out that was hiding inside her.

For the first time since she had come to New York, she truly felt proud of herself, proud of the first song she had written in years. She couldn't help but think about the one person who would appreciate this moment as much as she did…but he was the one person that she was saying goodbye to. He was the one person she couldn't call, couldn't talk to, and the one person she promised to never give in to again.

Glancing over at the clock, she saw that it was just about 2:00am. Still hearing the rain against her window, she took a deep breath and stood up, setting her guitar against the wall. She slowly walked back to the living room, ready to clean everything up and go to sleep. She turned her computer off, vowing to work on the article the next day, and switched off the lamp. She turned off the light in the kitchen and walked over to the door to lock it.

As she approached the door, all of a sudden, she heard a light knock. She froze in her place about three feet from the doorway, wondering who could possibly be visiting at 2:00am. If it had been Rob, he would've called first. Unsure of what to do, she just stood there, hoping whoever it was would go away.

But she heard the knock again, only a little louder, more eager this time.

Taking a light step forward on the tips of her toes, Jude made her way to the door, pushing herself up to look into the peep hole, trying to be as quiet as possible so whoever it was wouldn't know she was home.

And that's when she saw it. Saw him. Standing there, looking slightly anxious, leaning against the other side of her door. It might have just been coincidence, but she instantly became alarmed by his appearance right after she had completed her song. It was as though he had heard it. Or even scarier, that he wasn't going to let her say her goodbye.

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_A/N: Michelle Branch owns the song, not me. Hope you all enjoyed!_


	22. Chapter 22

_A/N: I seriously **LOVE** this chapter. I hope you all do too. It's what you've been waiting for...thanks again for all of your reviews. And I really hope you all ENJOY :-)_

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Jude's heart immediately quickened at the sight of Tommy standing outside her door and her mind raced over what she should do. Should she open the door? Or act like she hadn't heard the knock and wait for him to leave? She searched her mind frantically for the answer, jumping slightly as the knock behind the door sounded once again. 

"Jude," she heard faintly from outside the door, "Please. I need to talk to you, it's important."

She recognized the edginess in his voice, almost sounding stressed. She turned back and looked into the peep hole again, seeing him run his hand through his hair, still leaning against the door.

"Please…" he murmured, now sounding desperate.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. How could she just leave him out there? But then again, how could she let him in?

She turned towards the door, hearing him shift against it on the other side. She bit her lip in hesitation, and latched the chain on the door, preventing it from opening too wide. She heard him move away from the door at the sound of her actions, as she slowly opened the door just wide enough to see him through.

"What do you want?" she asked bluntly through the narrow opening.

"Jude," he said, looking at her earnestly, "Please. I need to talk to you. It's important."

"How long have you been standing out here?" she asked, thinking about the song she had been singing just minutes ago.

"Ummm…I don't know…a minute or two…" he answered, confused by her question.

"So you…didn't hear anything?" she asked warily.

"What? No…I don't know what you're talking about," he replied, flustered and looking at her in bewilderment. "Is Rob here or something?"

She exhaled quietly in relief. "No, but…I don't have anything to say to you, Quincy," she replied, not budging or unchaining the door. "It's late. You shouldn't be here."

"Jude—wait," he insisted, pushing the door open as wide as it would go. "Please. I know you don't want to see me, but there's something I really need to talk to you about."

She eyed him coldly, observing the urgency in his eyes but not wanting to completely surrender.

"What's this about?" she asked, suspicious as to his urgency. "Can't it wait?"

"No, it can't," he responded quickly. "I wouldn't ask if it weren't important. Please."

She sighed and rolled her eyes, knowing that she was about to give in. Wordlessly, she closed the door and undid the chained lock, taking a deep breath before opening it fully.

"You have five minutes. Then you're out," she said brusquely, striding away from the door and leaving it open for him to enter.

"Thanks," he said quietly, walking through the door and closing it behind him.

She stood with her arms crossed next to the kitchen, watching him closely. He clearly hadn't slept, with dark circles around his eyes and an unshaven face. He was wearing his leather jacket over a t-shirt and jeans, but his shoelaces were untied. And he had a backpack in one hand, which he lightly placed next to the door.

She looked down at her watch then back up at him. "Okay, your five minutes begins now."

He took a deep breath and walked a little closer to her, careful to not come too close.

"Jude, I did what you asked and I haven't contacted you at all this week. And I know that after this, you're probably going to reinstate that whole no communication thing. But there's something I need. It's really important, and I need it before we cut off all ties."

"What is it?"

"It's an answer. To a question."

"What's the question?" she asked impatiently.

"I need to know…" he began timidly, looking down and running a hand through his matted hair, "I need to know how you feel about me."

"What?" she asked, as though she had misheard his request.

"I need to know how you feel about me," he repeated, looking at her expression turn from confusion to shock. "It's really important."

"Why?"

"It just is…I can't explain, but it is," he said, taking a step closer to her, locking his eyes with hers.

"I hope you're kidding—," she started, shaking her head in disbelief.

"I'm not," he said seriously, taking one more step closer. "I need you to tell me. How do you feel about me?"

"What? This is—Quincy, this is crazy!" she yelled, flailing her arms in the air and walking away from him. "Do you honestly think you can come in here and just ask me that question?"

"Jude—I know it sounds crazy. But I wouldn't ask if it weren't important," he said, watching her pace the living room.

"Why? Why is it so important?" she spat, crossing her arms and stopping her pacing.

"It just is—I need you to tell me," he pleaded, approaching her. "Do you care about me? Do you…have feelings for me?"

She opened her mouth to speak but became totally flustered. "I—why would you—what?"

"Do you have feelings for me? Do you care about me?" he repeated, swallowing hard and looking at her intensely, adding, "More than Rob?"

She looked at him, her eyes narrowed. "You did not seriously just ask me that question."

"I need to know. Please, just answer the question."

"I'm not answering that! Are you insane? Is this just some ego trip for you?"

"What? No! Jude, please!"

"No! I'm not doing it! Not until you tell me why you need to know."

"I can't…but Jude, please just trust me on this—"

"Trust you? That's quite the joke!" she yelled back with a bitter laugh. "If that's all you came for, you can leave now because I am not answering your question!"

"Jude—I know it sounds strange, but I really need to know," he pleaded. "Please, I'm begging you."

"No! I'm not telling you anything!"

"Do you love him?" he asked frankly.

"Of course I do!" she replied immediately.

"What about me? How do you feel about me? Do you love him…more than me?"

Her eyes widened in horror, completely startled by his question. "Get out. Now."

"Not before you tell me," his voice rising a little to become more firm, watching her walk towards the door to usher him out.

"Are you kidding? Are you delusional?" she asked angrily. "What the hell, Quincy? Who do you think you are?"

"I need to know—Jude, please. Just say it."

"I won't! I can't!" she yelled, growing infuriated.

"Please—say it!" he shouted back.

"No! Just leave!"

"Not before you tell me!"

"I can't!"

"Jude, just do it!"

"No!"

"Jude—"

"What do you want to hear, Quincy? That I have feelings for you? That I think about you more than my own boyfriend? That I tried so god damn hard to forget how I felt about you five years ago but it all just came back anyway? That you're the only person I ever feel like myself around but you're still the only one who gives me butterflies? Well, fine—there you go! It's all true! That's how I feel! Are you happy now? Happy that you got what you came here for!"

She stared at him for a few seconds, her face reddened from emotion. She held his intense gaze, until the realization of her admission set in and she felt the tears begin to well up in her eyes. She quickly turned her back to him so he wouldn't see her cry, taking a few steps away from him towards the kitchen.

The tears slowly rolled down her cheeks, as she heard him sigh behind her and take a seat on the couch. Silence set in as an awkward, eerie energy overwhelmed the room. A thoughtful yet anxious silence that had them both tongue tied. The room was completely still, except for the faint muffle of Jude's tears and Tommy's deep breathing.

No words were spoken. No more arguments or exchanges. Her confession was out there, and the second she heard the words fly out of her mouth, she wished instantly that she could take them back.

Minutes passed without a word, the silence growing torturous. Trying to control her overwhelming emotions, Jude took a deep breath. As she exhaled, she closed her eyes and wished for a brief moment that when she opened them, she would realize it was all just a dream.

But as she opened her eyes, she heard the quietest, softest voice behind her murmur,

"I broke up with Jessica."


	23. Chapter 23

_A/N: Thanks guys for all of your reviews on the last chapter! I figured you would like it, but it's great to hear your feedback. :) So we're picking up with Jude's reaction to Tommy's news. I'm sorry for the shortness of this post, but I decided that I wanted to keep the next chapter together instead of breaking it up between this post and the next one. So this chapter is a little shorter, but the next one is longer. And it's a good one. :) So enjoy!_

* * *

But as she opened her eyes, Jude heard the quietest, softest voice behind her murmur, 

"I broke up with Jessica."

----

Jude froze in her spot, her mind immediately doubting what she had heard. Maybe he hadn't spoken at all. Maybe it really was just a dream.

Needing to know if she had become completely delusional, she kept her back to him but quietly asked, "What?"

She heard him behind her take another deep breath, pause for a few seconds and then, he said it again.

"I broke up with Jessica."

This time, she knew she had heard correctly. His voice was a little louder, a little clearer, more definite.

All at once, she felt light-headed, grabbing hold of the kitchen counter next to her to keep her balanced. A million thoughts burst into her head, feeling overwhelmed by the admission he had just made, not knowing where to begin to sort everything out.

Feeling the dizziness fade, she exhaled deeply and slowly turned around towards him, her tears barely dry on her cheeks. She looked at Tommy across the room, sitting on the edge of the couch with his head down staring at the ground. She didn't dare budge—she couldn't move even if she wanted to—as she attempted to comprehend the words that she had just heard.

"But…you couldn't have…I mean, I just saw her…" she started, her voice sounding shaky, unsteady, with a hint of panic as the realization of his confession began to set in.

His head lifted and his eyes immediately met hers across the room. "What?"

"I…I just saw her…on Thursday…" she muttered, remembering their night at the bar together.

He sat upright and eyed her in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"We—we had drinks together. At a bar. Didn't she tell you?"

He silently shook his head, as she put the pieces together of the situation. Her thoughts came together in a jumbled mess, trying to rationalize everything that was happening.

"She was waiting for you and you didn't show. I was there…just by coincidence…and she sat down. We just started talking…we drank…she told me that she loved you and that you loved her…"

"Jude...," Tommy started, willing her to calm down, as her voice became stronger, more resilient.

But she just stopped speaking and met his gaze with a distant chill. Her instinct darted to Jessica, as she felt herself grow defensive and angry. She stumbled backwards a little, shaking her head in denial.

"No. It's not true…"

"It is," he replied quickly, watching as she turned away, covering her eyes with her hands.

"No…it's not!" she cried, running her fingers through her hair, refusing to believe what he was telling her. "When?" she asked fiercely, opening her eyes to burn into his. "When did this happen?"

He paused for a second, then answered hesitantly, "About three hours ago."

She looked at him in disbelief. "But the wedding…"

"Is off," he mumbled softly, watching her reaction closely.

"What?" she asked faintly, in complete shock.

She closed her eyes as the feeling of sympathy flooded her whole system. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Tommy sitting peacefully on the other side of the room. His composure made her even more infuriated and defiant. Why wasn't he upset?

"How could you do that? To her? She's your fiancée! You can't just break up with her! You can't call off your wedding!" she yelled, wanting to rile him up and see some form of a reaction.

"I had to," he responded calmly, observing her full range of emotions.

"No, you didn't! How could you just…end it? Didn't she mean anything to you?" Jude questioned heatedly, her thoughts unwilling to stray from Jessica.

"What? Jude, you've got it all wrong—"

"No, Quincy, I think you're the one who's wrong here! You ask a girl to marry you and then you marry her. That's the way it works. Isn't it?" she asked vehemently, staring him in the eye across the room with her hands on her hips. "You need to go…go back…go apologize!"

"Jude—"

"Just leave!" she cried loudly, turning away from him and feeling the lump form in her throat.

He sighed and stood up quietly, not walking towards the door but closer to her.

"Jude, please…"

She swallowed away the tears and felt her fury subside as she glanced back at him, standing only a few feet away, his eyes revealing his own inner turmoil.

She took a deep breath, recalling every bit of her conversation with Jessica, recounting it all mindlessly but more evenly. "She told me…about how you used to bring her flowers. About how you've had problems before but always worked through them. About how much she loves you. And how much you love her. Right?"

He looked into her eyes shamefully. "It's over, Jude."

She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. She closed her mouth again, using the brief moment of silence in the room to try to think a little more clearly. But as her mind began racing again, her consideration for Jessica suddenly became replaced by alarm. What did this mean? Why did he break off his engagement? Was she part of his reason?

"Oh my god…" she started, touching her forehead in the realization that she may actually have been part of the reason.

He saw the guilt and confusion flash across her face, as he walked a little closer, eyeing her the whole time. As his steps grew nearer, he said softly, "That's why I'm here…why I needed to hear how you feel about me. And why I couldn't tell you where the question came from."

She looked up at him but searched for more answers. "I…I don't understand…"

He exhaled deeply and attempted to explain a little more. "If you knew I broke off my engagement, I thought it might've changed your answer and I didn't want that. I needed to know how you really feel—regardless of anything or anyone else in our lives."

She watched the words come out of his mouth, fearful to know more but needing to understand why he needed to hear her confession in the first place. "But…why? Why did it matter how I feel?"

He gazed at her gently and took a deep breath. He looked over at the empty couch and pointed to it. "You might want to sit down."


	24. Chapter 24

_A/N: Here you go...this is 'Tommy Talks.' And it will hopefully help explain some of the background behind his relationship with Jessica and his interactions with Jude. Enjoy!_

* * *

"You might want to sit down." 

Silently, Jude nodded her head and slowly walked over to the couch, taking a seat in the middle. Tommy stood on the other side of the coffee table, his mind clearly working hard to get his thoughts in order.

"I know I have a lot of explaining to do. And I will. But please, don't say anything, don't interrupt—or else I'm never going to be able to get through this," he urged as Jude quietly nodded, her expression still one of confusion and anxiety.

He took a deep breath and began slowly pacing. "Okay. Remember when we ran into each other in the coffee shop a couple of months ago? And then how we saw each other again on the street corner later that night?"

Jude nodded once more, remembering their reunion.

He watched her, then continued, "Well, to me, seeing you twice in one day after not seeing you for five years wasn't just some crazy coincidence. It wasn't even fate—to me, it was my chance to make up for the biggest mistake I had ever made. It was another shot—for me, for you, for both of us, together."

She remained quiet, swallowing hard to not burst out into tears in the middle of his speech, as he continued.

"See, I've sort of always had this theory about the two of us. Even when we hadn't spoken for years, I always thought that the real problem between the two of us was that the timing was never right. You were too young, we worked together, you were dating someone else, I was dating someone else…it just always seemed like it wasn't in the cards for us. But that day I left you standing on the street in Toronto, I felt like I officially forfeited any chance I'd ever have of us being anything again, friends or more. I had ruined everything…and I guess as time went on, I began to accept that it just wasn't meant to be. I gave up all hope of ever seeing you again, let alone being friends with you.

"Right after I had this whole realization, I met Jessica. I was feeling pretty lost and she's the one who found me. And the best part was that I wasn't Little Tommy Q or that guy from the tabloids...I was just some guy. She was the polar opposite of you but she intrigued me in the same way. She had her own thing going on, she was confident, and I liked that. I liked not having to make all of the decisions or worry about what people would say…it was like a fresh start. And it was really good, for awhile."

Jude couldn't help but look down at this point, knowing that she had played some role in the downfall of their relationship.

"A couple of months before I ran into you, Jessica got this call from her job. They wanted to transfer her to a position in Germany. It was a great opportunity but I didn't want her to leave," Tommy continued, his voice growing slightly strained as he recalled a part of his relationship that Jude had been unaware of. "She had basically become the strong one in our relationship and I didn't exactly trust myself without her around…but without any real ties here, she could've easily gotten up and left."

Jude nodded in understanding, the pieces of the story starting to come together.

He sighed and said, "So I asked her to marry me. We had talked about getting married before but the truth is that I probably wasn't ready yet…if at all. But I knew if I didn't do it, she would leave and I'd be left here by myself."

He looked to Jude for a reaction, but she remained cool and unemotional, willing him to go on.

He hesitantly continued, "So she stayed. And we were engaged. And things were okay for a little while. But I think I started to freak out. I pulled back and threw myself into work, anything to avoid the wedding topic," he said, taking a deep breath and remembering everything, taking a seat on the edge of the chair across from her.

"But that's when I ran into you. That day, in the coffee shop. It was like this sign, this symbol of hope when I was starting to feel like my life was destined for failure. I could actually get the chance to fix something I regretted more than anything and you were actually willing to give me that chance.

"Jude, being friends with you again—it changed my life," he asserted, looking into her eyes sincerely. "I started remembering all of the reasons why I loved Toronto, why I missed my friends and family. I realized how much I've changed since I've come here and how much I need to accept my past rather than run from it."

She faintly grinned, knowing that he had had the same effect on her. He was a reminder of where she came from, bringing her a sense of reality that no one else had in a long time.

"But you were more than just a friendly face—you made me stop and think about where I was in my life. You flat out told me that you didn't think I was happy and that I deserved more…no one else could ever have seen that or been gutsy enough to say it."

Jude blushed a little, looking down at the carpet, remembering that night in Central Park.

"I'm glad you said it," he continued, seeing her reaction, as she lifted her eyes again to meet his. "You forced me to take a good look at myself. I needed that. And what I saw—it wasn't pretty. I saw a guy who had proposed to his girlfriend because he was scared of being alone. A guy who had been denying the mistakes and choices he had made. A guy who was settling for less than what he wanted.

"But you were the one thing in my life that I felt like I needed to be right. The one person I wouldn't let down. You meant more to me than any friend, any girlfriend, or even any fiancée. I cared more about what you thought than anyone.

"And when we went to that concert, I just kept thinking about my whole timing theory with us…maybe the problem wasn't that the timing was off, maybe the problem was that I was _letting_ the timing be off."

She couldn't break her gaze away from his, the intensity of his eyes piercing into her own. Her expression was blank, letting everything sink in, as he went on.

"That night…," he started softly, slowly enough to draw out every word, "that night wasn't about making mistakes. It was about making things right."

Hearing his words, her breath was caught in her throat as she turned away, breaking their stare. She closed her eyes, feeling the tears burning, wanting them to disappear. She heard him quietly move from the chair to the couch, feeling him sit on the cushion beside her.

"You were right, Jude. You and me—we can't just be friends. We never could," he said faintly, lightly touching the side of her face to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She shivered at his contact, his hand lingering just a few extra seconds against her cool skin.

She opened her eyes slowly, hesitantly, letting the tears come to the surface. She turned towards him, seeing his earnest but slightly uneasy expression.

He remained seated beside her, not moving any closer, as he resumed his explanation. "I understand why you wanted to end everything after that night. Part of me didn't blame you for making that choice—but I meant what I said. I couldn't accept your decision. I couldn't just let go. So I called and emailed and texted you…enough to drive you crazy, right?"

She grinned weakly at his question, sniffing back her tears.

"But after you hung up on me at your sister's wedding, I decided to give you what you wanted. Even though I wasn't giving up, I decided to stop pushing so hard and just things rest awhile."

She looked down, lightly biting her lip, still feeling guilty for forcing him out of her life as she had.

"Jude," he started once more, shifting in a little closer, causing her to pick up her head and look at him, "even though we haven't talked for the last week, I don't think I stopped thinking about you for more than two seconds. You were engrained in my mind and I realized that the only way I could make things okay between us was to make a decision once and for all."

He took a deep breath and said gently, "I love Jessica—I do—but she's not the one I want to be with. I didn't want to hurt her…but in the end, I made the decision that I should've done a long time ago. The one decision that I had left. The only one that was important…"

She stared into his eyes, as he concluded,

"I decided to make the timing right."


	25. Chapter 25

_A/N: This post is dedicated to all of my fellow Grey's Anatomy fans. There's one part in here that might sound familiar but I promise, I actually mapped out this scene before even seeing the episode from the show. But just in case, I don't own anything that looks like Grey's. Although I do love the show! Anyway, this chapter picks up from where the last one left off. Thanks so much for all of your replies! I really appreciate it. ENJOY!_

* * *

"I decided to make the timing right." 

Jude sat still and quiet as his explanation concluded, her mouth gaping slightly at the reality of his decision. He exhaled deeply in relief, feeling the weight of the last few weeks dissipate, and the truth finally come to the surface. He watched her closely, waiting for a reaction, as every second that passed made him more and more edgy.

Jude turned away and closed her eyes to take it all in. He actually had done it. He had broken off his engagement. For her. Her heart was racing and her mind was spinning, trying to grasp everything he had just told her.

With her eyes still closed, she quietly asked, "Can I…can I talk now?"

She heard him lightly smirk next to her, as she opened her eyes and looked at him questioningly.

"Yeah, I'm done," he said gently.

She quickly wiped away her remaining tears and took a deep breath. She suddenly appeared to be very tired, as though his whole speech had taken its toll on her. She was clearly flustered and still a little in shock, looking down at the carpet and nervously playing with the hem of her t-shirt.

"I…" she started tentatively, "I…don't know what to say…"

He watched her closely, anxiously wanting to hear what she was thinking. He forced himself to remain quiet as she continued staring at the ground, trying to gather her thoughts.

"I…I thought I wanted to talk, but I…I don't…" she started again, shaking her head a little in an attempt to clear her head. She timidly looked up, meeting his uneasy gaze, and asked softly, "You…you really did this? You called off your engagement?"

He kept his eyes fixed on hers while he faintly grinned at her question. Wordlessly, he nodded his head, watching as her eyes filled up with tears again.

"I just…can't believe…" Jude said, running her hand through her hair in nervousness. She looked at him again and added, "How did she…how did she take it?"

He sighed and replied, "Not well. I expected a bad reaction but it was much worse than that. She cried, yelled, threw some things at me, and then yelled some more…not that I didn't deserve any of it, because I did…"

"Did you…tell her why?" Jude asked hesitantly.

"Sort of," Tommy replied vaguely. "I told her the truth, but not all of it…I told her that I wasn't ready. That I proposed out of pure selfishness to keep her here. And that I didn't think we were necessarily meant to be husband and wife."

"And she…did she understand any of it?"

"I don't know," he responded honestly. "I think she will, once she calms down. But she was too worked up to think rationally."

She nodded in understanding, staring blankly at the wall in front of her. "I think…she knew there was something going on with you."

"Really?" he asked, in a slightly hopeful tone.

"Yeah," Jude replied, not looking at him, although he sat beside her focusing on her every word. "She told me that you had changed a lot since the engagement. She said that you had pulled away…and she asked me if I knew why."

"What did you say?" he asked.

She turned towards him, looking into his eyes and replied, "I said that I didn't know."

His expression turned regretful as he mumbled, "But you _did_ know."

She shook her head in disagreement. "I didn't. Not all of it at least. I knew what happened between us, and I knew you weren't necessarily happy in your relationship with her, but I didn't know that the two things were related. Or…at least…I didn't know for sure."

Silence set in on the pair as Jude lowered her eyes again to the carpet, processing everything that had just been said. Her mind was still racing, trying to make sense of it all as he spoke one more time.

"Jude, you have to know that I didn't mean for any of this to happen…I never wanted to hurt Jessica. And I definitely didn't think that I'd be here, throwing everything at you like this."

"I know," she faintly muttered. "But…there's still one thing I don't understand."

"What is it?" he asked curiously.

"Tonight, you came in here and pressed me to admit how I feel about you. But you broke up with Jessica before even hearing me say what I did. Why did you do that? Why not find out how I felt _before_ making a decision?"

He grinned lightly, considering her question. "I would've _loved_ to have had this conversation with you before I made any decision. I wanted to know how you felt but you wouldn't talk to me. And you certainly weren't willing to listen…so I made a decision on my own."

"So you were just totally convinced that I'd run right back to you? That I'd automatically feel the same way?" she questioned, slight bitterness evident in her voice.

But he remained calm and humble, shaking his head. "Not at all. To be honest, I figured it was, at best, a 50/50 shot that you'd say what you did. I didn't even expect to make it through your front door. But I guess deep down, I was hoping you felt the same way that I did."

"But what if my answer had been different? You would've lost us both."

"True," he admitted pensively. "But once I realized that I had any kind of feelings for you, I knew that I couldn't stay with Jessica. It wouldn't have been right, being engaged to her but knowing that I had feelings for somebody else."

"So…you risked us both to do the right thing?"

He shrugged slightly. "I guess so," he replied, thinking about his actions. "It was a chance I had to take…I couldn't keep pretending to feel something I didn't."

She sighed loudly and looked away again. "I honestly don't know what to say, Quincy. This is…crazy. You can't just…break up with her."

"I had to, Jude. Don't you get it? It was the only way…"

"The only way to what, Quincy?" she said, standing up off the couch.

"To make things right," he replied earnestly, gazing up at her. "To give _us_ a chance."

"But who says that's the right thing to do?" she questioned, standing before him with her arms crossed protectively around her body.

"Well, you did, for one…" he retorted. "What you said before, about how you feel about me…"

"I know what I said," she responded quickly. "But it doesn't mean that it's that simple."

"Why not?" he asked directly.

"I…I…I have a boyfriend…" she said vaguely, turning and walking towards the chair on the other side of the room. It was the first mention of Rob since Tommy had stepped foot inside her apartment and the first remembrance she had of him.

"Jude…" he said doubtfully, standing up and walking towards her.

"No, I mean—I really have a boyfriend. And I'm trying really hard to make things right with _him_," she said more convincingly, looking at Tommy.

He stopped walking towards her and took a deep breath.

"Well, then I guess you have a choice to make."

"A choice?"

"Yes, a choice," he repeated. "I made my decision. Now it's time for you to make yours."

"I can't…choose…" she said dazedly, leaning back against the chair.

"Yes, you can," he said, slowly approaching her. "You have to."

"But…what if…I pick him?" she said, mulling over both options.

"Then you pick him. And then I'm gone."

"Gone where?" she asked as he walked closer to her.

"I don't know…somewhere else. Maybe London or Miami. Or maybe back home to Toronto. But I won't bother you anymore, just like you wanted," he said, taking one more step forward to stand inches away from her.

"So…that would be it?" she asked sullenly, looking into his eyes.

"That would be it. I won't question you or fight you on it…if you really want to be with Rob, then be with Rob. I won't stand in your way," he said softly, edging in a little closer to her, delicately taking her hand in his and holding it to his heart. "But if there's some part of you that wants to give us a try, then you owe it to yourself to find out."

She stared up at him, her breath caught in her throat at his every move. "I…I don't know…"

"Think about it," he said quietly, lightly placing a kiss on the inside of her wrist. "But I really hope…I really want you to make the right choice. The one that's in your heart."

She exhaled as he gently dropped her wrist and turned to walk towards the door, seeing himself out.


	26. Chapter 26

_A/N: Thanks to everyone for your patience with this chapter! It's written a little differently than any of the others, so it's taken me awhile to get it right. I hope you like it - enjoy!_

* * *

"Think about it," he said quietly, lightly placing a kiss on the inside of her wrist. "But I really hope…I really want you to make the right choice. The one that's in your heart." 

She exhaled as he gently dropped her wrist and turned to walk towards the door, seeing himself out.

--------

Jude watched as Tommy turned his back to her and walked towards her front door. He leaned forward and grabbed his bag that lay on the ground against the door. Taking a deep breath, he gingerly turned the knob and pulled open the door, glancing back at her before making his exit.

"I'll wait to hear from you," he said quietly, before stepping through the doorway.

"Wait!" she called from inside, almost instinctively, walking swiftly towards the door. She looked at him in the hall, seeing the hope in his eyes, but had no idea what to say to him. She just knew she didn't want him to leave yet. "Where will you go? I mean, are you going back to your apartment?"

His expression turned downwards, clearly disappointed by her question. "I don't know…Jessica kicked me out, so…" he started, gaping at the ceiling in her hallway, anxiously trying to think of a place to go. "I'll probably just crash with Kevin, that other producer from my studio. He's got a nice couch and his roommate's out of town so…yeah, I guess I'll go there."

He looked at her, waiting for a reaction, but she just silently nodded, biting the edge of her lip in thought.

"I'll be fine," he stated, seeing her uncertainty.

She nodded again, stepping back inside her apartment. "Okay."

"So I'll…talk to you?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah," she said softly, holding on to the edge of her door. "I'll talk to you."

He gave her a timid half-grin, before turning back around and heading down the hallway. She watched each step he took further from her door. As he hit the end of the hall, he turned to make eye contact with her one last time before rounding the corner and disappearing into her stairwell.

--------

She watched him leave, her heart still pounding in her chest. She stood stationary for a few moments, gazing at the empty hallway, before mechanically stepping back inside her apartment and closing her door. She bolted it shut, then slumped against the back of the door, letting go of the breath she had been holding.

She stared around her living room, now quiet and still, a drastic change from how it had been just minutes earlier. She heard the sound of the rain that she had all but forgotten against her window. She looked at the couch, with the cushions shifted where she had been sitting during his speech.

"_Being friends with you again—it changed my life."_

Mindlessly, she drifted back across the room and sat down in that very same place, lightly dragging her fingers across the cushions to feel their warmth. Taking a deep breath, she leaned back against the sofa and closed her eyes, reflecting on how it was possible to go from feeling lonely, to angry, to confused, to moved, to confused again, and finally, to alone again, in just under an hour.

"_I don't think I stopped thinking about you for more than two seconds."_

Keeping her eyes closed, she couldn't help but replay every word he had spoken. Every action he made, every way that he expressed it. The nervousness in his voice as he recounted the truth behind his engagement…the spark in his eyes when he told her why he had pressed her to hear how she felt…the way he gently kissed her wrist before departing…it was all still so fresh, so vivid. Almost like he hadn't left at all.

"_That night wasn't about making mistakes. It was about making things right."_

And all at once, the back of her eyes began to burn as his words echoed in her mind. Keeping her eyes closed, she felt the tears well up and slowly trickle down her cheeks. Her breath was caught in her throat, at the vision of him opening up, of being honest, of letting her in.

She was afraid. To open her eyes, to know that it was real. That everything he had said was real. That he really broke off his engagement. That he did it to be with her.

But she was also afraid to open her eyes and face the reality in front of her. Her empty apartment, her quiet cell phone, her fleeting boyfriend, her perfect sister, her mismatched job…her life that was falling apart at the seams.

"_I cared more about what you thought than anyone."_

Yes, she had a boyfriend, but did she really? She loved him but he wanted to move on and take some time apart. He wanted her to figure out who she was and what exactly makes her happy. But it scared her more than anything to think that the answer to his question may not involve him.

Was Rob the right one? Was she supposed to try to convince him that they belonged together? Did she even want to reconcile? Was he worth the effort? Was he worth the fight?

Just minutes ago, she had sat in this room and listened to a story being told about how much one person would give up to be with another and she couldn't help but wonder, could she ever do that for Rob?

"_The only way I could make things okay was to make a decision once and for all."_

But choosing Tommy would certainly be a risk. She knew it and couldn't stop thinking about how he had left her on the streets in Toronto five years earlier. She wanted so badly to let her memories go, to let her fears go, but as hard as she tried, she couldn't. She couldn't get that vision out of her head of watching the car race down the street as she cried his name.

Could she trust him? Could she let him in? The memories hurt, but would being without him hurt even more?

"_Deep down, I was hoping you felt the same way that I did."_

Throughout the last six years of her life, every choice she had made had been safe. Every decision was logical and calculated. From her move to New York, to her job, to even her boyfriend, each step in her life had been sensible and secure, not being questioned or opposed by the people around her.

But listening to Tommy's speech, she suddenly realized that by doing what was safe, she had lost her own voice. She had forgotten what it felt like to make her own decisions, to take a risk, the way he had done. The last risk she remembered taking was back when she was sixteen, when she and Patsy spray painted that picture on the side of the building in Toronto of the shock jock DJ who had humiliated her on the air. And not since then had she honestly felt so alive.

"_I decided to make the timing right."_

Maybe being with him wouldn't be perfect. Maybe it wouldn't be exactly right. Maybe it would take her time to trust him completely. Maybe she'd still have feelings of loneliness, of emptiness. Maybe she'd still question where she belonged and what she was supposed to be doing with her life. But maybe…just maybe…she could find a little bit of happiness.

"_I guess you have a choice to make."_

Hesitantly, she opened her eyes, her vision immediately clouded by tears. She wiped them away, though they continued to roll down her cheeks, so that she was able to take in the sight around her, confronting the life that she was leading.

And there it stood—her empty apartment, a quiet cell phone…they were all part of her reality. And unless she was ready to take her own risk, make her own choices, her life would continue to be vacant.

After all, he had done it. He had taken a risk, taken a chance. A chance to have something more. A chance to start over. With someone worth fighting for.

"_I really want you to make the right choice. The one that's in your heart."_

She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes once more, feeling her heartbeat quicken. Without thinking, she stood up from the couch and rushed towards the door, grabbing her keys from the table. She wrestled with the lock for a second, her hands sweating in anticipation, and finally yanked the door open, hearing it slam behind her as she took off into the hallway. She didn't know what she would say to him or how she would explain what she was thinking—she just knew that she needed to find him.


	27. Chapter 27

Jude's legs flew down the four flights of stairs, arriving at the bottom lobby and bursting through the front door of her building onto the sidewalk. The street was quiet and the rain was coming down harder now. But she didn't care. Her eyes immediately raced around the street, turning from one side to the next trying to detect the figure she was looking for.

The thunder sounded above as she walked a little towards one side, hearing the sound of voices. She rushed towards it, but a couple emerged around the corner, holding hands and laughing under an umbrella. She sighed in defeat and then turned around to see someone walking towards the end of her block. She sprinted forward, spotting his brown hair and broad shoulders. As she approached, she reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Tommy—"

But the man turned around to reveal a face she didn't recognize.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were…I'm sorry," she said softly, flustered, and backing away. The man gave her a quick nod and kept walking.

As he walked along, she looked around in panic, the tears starting to fill her eyes once more. It was 3am now as the cars raced by her, standing on the street corner covered in a sheet of rain and feeling a pit in her stomach. Feeling hopeless, she leaned back against a building, running her fingers through her now soaked hair.

Her mind was calling for her to head home, change into something dry, and deal with him in the morning. He had clearly left the area and probably wouldn't even want to talk to her so soon after how they had left things before.

But she couldn't go home. She had to resolve it tonight. She had to find him. Before she lost her courage, she had to find him and tell him. And something told her to keep looking.

She wiped her eyes to glance up and down the street, not seeing a sign of anyone, and began thinking how she could find him. He had mentioned staying with his friend Kevin, but she had no clue where Kevin lived. She didn't even know Kevin's last name. And not having her cell phone on her, she couldn't call him.

With renewed determination, she continued walking. She didn't know where she was going, but she began walking down the street, further away from her apartment, the rain completing soaking her through.

She paused at the streetlight watching the cars race by her and waiting for the light to change. Her eyes drifted around the intersection, wishing to see Tommy standing across the street as he had been months before. But there was no one there. Just an empty sidewalk covered in rain.

The light turned and she crossed the intersection, her eyes cast downwards trying to think of ways to find him. As she stepped foot on the other side of the street, her eyes shifted upwards, suddenly being drawn to a flashing light down the block.

Walking a little closer, she immediately recognized the sign, a blinking yellow light reading, 'Open 24 Hours." Her heart quickened at the realization that this wasn't just any place—it was the diner where she and Tommy had gone after their reunion. It was where they had decided to start over, where she had let him back into her life and where both of their lives had changed.

She slowly walked closer to the sign, seeing shadows and vague reflections of people in the window. She took a deep breath and stepped forward a little more, peering around the corner of the window into the restaurant.

She scanned the faces of the patrons inside, standing so that only half of her body was visible through the glass. She watched a couple in a booth arguing and an older man reading a newspaper at the counter. She saw two students with their laptops and books spread out all over the table. Her eyes fell upon a waitress who rushed a pot of coffee over to the students, refilling their mugs before continuing on towards the back, filling up another mug of coffee for a customer sitting alone in the back booth.

She watched as the patron in the back booth paid no attention to the fresh cup of coffee, not moving from his position as it was refilled. His head hung low against his hands so that his face was not visible, staring down at the white tiled table.

She started to shift her attention away from the man but her eyes suddenly caught sight of something on the other side of his booth—a leather jacket. A black, faded leather jacket. With zippers around the pockets. And frayed edges along the sleeves.

Her mouth gaped open and her eyes widened at the sight of it. She knew that leather jacket anywhere.

It was him. Sitting alone in that booth with his head in his hands, staring at the table.

She couldn't budge at the sight of him. Her breath caught in the back of her throat, watching him shift so that he was holding his head up with one hand and grabbed the fresh cup of coffee with the other. He slid the coffee in front of him and stared blankly into it.

Watching him move, she couldn't help but think that he looked so…sad. Almost…wounded.

He wasn't even drinking his coffee. He was just staring into it vacantly, as though he wanted to dive in and disappear.

The guilt crept up on her, watching as he put a spoon into the mug of coffee and stirred it around aimlessly. It had been her reaction that had made him so depressed. He put everything on the line for her and she had let him walk away.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and stepped away from the window, composing herself. She knew what she had to do. It was her time. Her choice. It was now or never.

So she stepped forward, crossing the window and opening the front door. Feeling the warmth of the diner infiltrate her wet clothes, she nervously stepped foot inside the restaurant.

Hearing her heart pounding loudly in her chest, she quickly wrung out her wet hair before taking another step inside, keeping her eyes focused on his still form towards the back. Wordlessly, she walked through the restaurant, feeling the eyes of the college students and the arguing couple on her, not caring that her wet clothes were tracking throughout the restaurant.

She paused about four feet away from the table, eyeing him closely and bit her lip in nervousness. His head still rested on his hands, staring down. She felt as though her heart could leap out of her chest, but she took another deep breath and slowly, cautiously, took a few steps to approach his table.

Reaching her destination, she quietly picked up his leather jacket and moved it further into the booth, sliding in to take a seat across from him without a sound. She kept her eyes focused on him the whole time, although he didn't budge once or notice her presence in his booth.

She sat still for a moment, until the waitress came over, eyeing her sopping wet hair and dripping sweat pants.

"Can I get you something, honey?" the waitress asked brusquely.

Jude watched as he shifted ever so slightly at the sound of the waitress' voice, coming out of his daze.

Watching as his head gently began to lift, she softly replied, "Just coffee."

At the sound of her words, his head picked up all the way, his eyes meeting hers across the table. His jaw fell open, leaning back to take in the sight of her sitting before him. He stared at her blankly, seeing her soaked clothes and damp hair, rendered speechless at her sudden appearance.

She saw his confusion and kept her eyes focused on his, her lips turning upwards into a small, subtle smile.

"Hi," she said quietly.

Unable to take his eyes off her, Tommy ever so gently replied, "Hi."


	28. Chapter 28

_A/N: I hope you all like this chapter - I know that I do. It makes me happy. Thanks again for all of you who read and review, you're all the best. I may not be able to update again until next weekend so I hope this ties you over until then. And I hope you all have a very happy turkey day! So here it is...ENJOY!_

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They sat in silence in the diner as the waitress came around and dropped off a fresh mug of coffee for Jude. Her clothes were still dripping all over the floor and her hair was matted and damp. 

Not a word was spoken as the waitress came and left. Jude held onto the mug of coffee tightly, feeling its warmth against her fingertips, hoping to find comfort and guidance through the mug. But she sat still, trying to gather her thoughts, as Tommy watched her intently across the booth.

She looked down at her mug taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, feeling his eyes pierce into her.

_This is it,_ she thought to herself. _It's now or never._

She looked up at him, seeing the confusion and anxiety in his gaze, the exhaustion and wear in his eyes. She swallowed her nerves, ignored her racing heart, and began to speak softly.

"I know that I'm probably the last person you want to see right now…"

He sat in silence, not agreeing or disagreeing, just waiting to hear where she was going.

"…but I needed to talk to you. You said a lot tonight that was…moving," she said quietly, looking down again into her coffee. "And what you did…it means a lot to me."

He didn't budge or react to her words. He just continued to sit still wearing a blank expression as she continued, glancing back up at him earnestly.

"But there's still one thing I need to know. Before I can make my choice, I need you to tell me something," she said, her voice shaking slightly in nervousness. "I need to know…if you're planning on leaving again. Leaving _me_ again."

His eyes immediately softened at her question, knowing exactly what she was referring to. She saw his expression change a little, his eyes glimpsing downwards, away from hers in thought.

Sniffing back a fresh batch of tears, she watched him become more distant and found herself needing him to understand her question even more.

"I know I said all of that was water under the bridge, but this…this is different than just accepting you back in my life. I need to know that you won't be running away or skipping town."

He shifted in the booth uneasily, clearly distressed by her question.

"How can I trust that it's not going to happen again? Because I couldn't handle that…" she said softly, a tear gently falling onto her cheek. "How can I guarantee that you're going to be here tomorrow?"

He exhaled deeply and kept his focus downward, quietly muttering, "You can't."

Her eyes flicked upwards in disbelief, feeling as though she had misheard his response. "What?"

He looked up at her, his eyes meeting hers across the table. "There is no guarantee, Jude. There never is…you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow."

Her jaw gaped slightly in shock, refusing to accept that this was the answer he was offering. "Are you kidding? That's your answer? That I don't get a guarantee?" she questioned, growing heated at his response.

He sat quietly trying to collect his thoughts, which only angered her more. She waited for him to keep going, to make her understand, but he sat in silence, with his eyes closed in concentration.

Feeling her anger well up even more, she quickly became impatient at his lack of explanation. She shook her head and slid out of the booth. His eyes shot upwards at her move, staring up at her pleadingly.

"Wait—"

"No, you know what, Tommy? I actually thought that everything you said to me tonight was real. That it meant something to you. But if the only thing that you can say to me is that there is no guarantee that you won't be running off anytime soon, well...that's not good enough."

"Jude, will you just wait a second?" he asked, grabbing her hand to keep her there. But she twisted her hand out of his grip and looked into his eyes, the tears now replaced by hurt.

"I thought maybe I was just being paranoid about you running away. But maybe my instincts were right…I'm sure Rob will be willing to promise that _he_ won't be skipping town tomorrow…"

He winced at her statement, his gaze reflecting his regret.

"Just let me explain—" he pressed, standing up.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, taking out a couple of bills and throwing them on the table for the coffee. "I shouldn't have come here. I should've just stayed home and thought this all through before trying to talk to you. Silly me."

At that, she took off through the restaurant, pushing the door open to step out into the rain again. He watched her bolt out of the diner and called her name as she left. The other patrons watched as he frantically dug a few bills out of his own wallet and threw them onto the table before grabbing his jacket and bag and taking off after her.

Rushing out into the rain, he turned both ways to see where she had gone. Spotting her distant figure running back towards her apartment, he immediately sprinted after her. He could barely make out her image through the falling rain, feeling it soak through his sweatshirt.

Reaching the intersection and seeing a red light, he watched her cross to the other side of the street and shouted her name again.

"Jude! Wait!"

Looking quickly at the oncoming traffic, he ran through the intersection as fast as possible as the cars honked at him. He made his way across and watched as she turned the corner towards her apartment.

He ran as fast as he could through the rain, seeing the distance between them diminish and her figure grow closer. He finally got within range to grab her arm.

"Jude—wait!"

He grabbed her arm, causing her to slow down, just paces from her apartment. He held onto her and stepped in front of her to force her to stop moving.

"Jude—"

"Just let me go, Tommy," she said breathlessly, trying to squirm her arm out of his grasp. "I need to go home and think about this."

"No," he said firmly, catching his breath. "Not until you listen."

"I already listened to you tonight, Tommy. First telling me that you broke up with your fiancée to be with me but then telling me that I can't get any kind of promise that you'll be around tomorrow—"

"That's not what I said," he insisted, holding her arms with both hands. "What I said was that you don't have any kind of guarantee about what'll happen tomorrow."

"Oh, and that's so different?" she questioned bitingly.

He took a deep breath and looked into her eyes, as the rain continued to fall harshly on both of them. "Just…give me a second here. Your question—it took me by surprise. I needed to think about it—about how to explain. And my answer, it didn't come out right."

She stared back at him in annoyance, tilting her head to one side waiting for him to continue.

He saw her reaction and kept his hands on her arms, not letting her go until she understood. "What I meant is…we don't ever have 100 assurance of anything. But for you, I've given you no reason to believe that I won't run…I haven't earned your trust yet, so I can't expect you to give it to me."

She shook her head in confusion. "What?"

"Jude, as friends, I've tried over the last couple of months to earn your trust again. But with this—with _us_—I haven't done that."

Jude still appeared to be thoroughly confused, unsure of where he was going. He saw that she was still puzzled by his response, so he made it even clearer.

"Jude, I can promise you a million times over that I'm not going anywhere. I can give you all of the guarantees in the world. But you're not going to believe anything I say unless you trust me. And I know that's going to take time…but I want to…I want you to believe in me. To trust me. To know that I would never go anywhere. That I will always be here with you. I want the promise to mean something."

"So…what does that mean exactly?" she asked in uncertainty, seeing a flash of lightening overhead.

"It means that I want to earn your trust…if you'll let me. I want to prove it to you—I want to prove that you mean more to me than anything. That I don't want to go anywhere unless you'll be there with me."

She stood still for a few moments, paralyzed by his words and taking in everything he had said. But feeling overwhelmed and more confused than she was before, she took a deep breath and looked away, hearing another roar of thunder above and feeling the rain drench her whole body.

"I…I don't know…" she said, running her hands through her soaked hair.

"You _do_ know," Tommy said gently, stepping in closer to her, still holding onto her arms. "Just give me a chance…let me prove it to you…"

Her eyes began to water, looking away from his gaze. "I just…I don't know…"

He saw her hesitation and edged in even closer, shifting one hand off of her shoulder to her cheek, bringing her eyes back to meet his.

"Please," he said sincerely, his own emotions starting to build. "Will you let me show you? Let me prove it?"

She sighed, considering his plea, feeling her tears fall down her cheeks. She felt torn and confused. She had searched for him with the intention of taking this risk, but seeing the reality of her choice standing before her, she felt scared of actually taking the chance.

As she wavered, struggling with her internal voices, he took the opportunity to do the only thing he could think of to convince her. He brought both of his hands to her cheeks and leaned in abruptly, capturing her lips with his own.


	29. Chapter 29

As Jude wavered, struggling with her internal voices, Tommy took the opportunity to do the only thing he could think of to convince her. He brought both of his hands to her cheeks and leaned in abruptly, capturing her lips with his own.

Jude jumped slightly as his lips made contact with hers, trying to pull away. She pushed back against his chest, resisting his sudden actions. Feeling her opposition, he moved his hands around her back, holding her firmly and not letting her budge.

She felt the intensity of his mouth against hers, the softness of his lips, the electricity that surged through her body as he held her close. Feeling her defenses weaken, she closed her eyes and allowed her body to relax against his, opening her mouth just enough to feel his tongue brush against hers. She wrapped her arms around him, losing all ability to think rationally or coherently, as his hands ran up her back and into her soaked hair.

Thunder sounded above and the rain continued to fall, completely saturating both of them. But they stood on the corner of the street as the cars drove by, in their own world, fully absorbed in each other.

Neither one could move, as their mouths connected and tongues intertwined, igniting passion. The heat between them grew more intense with the cool rain not helping to lower the temperature. She laced her arms around him tighter, her fingers grasping his soaked sweatshirt to help her not lose her balance. He kept his hands in her matted hair, feeling her kiss grow from hesitant to passionate in just a few moments.

Feeling the lack of oxygen become overwhelming, she suddenly broke away, breathing heavily and trying to regain consciousness. She rested her forehead against his, still clinging to him and hearing him try to catch his breath as well. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, yelling at her to calm down, to start thinking again, but all she could concentrate on was the tingles running up and down her body.

She fell quiet, listening to the mixture of the rain hitting the pavement and her heart beating rapidly, trying to slow her racing mind to figure out what she was thinking. She couldn't remember what they were talking about before or how she had gone from yelling to kissing him.

Not knowing what to do, she opened her mouth to speak, muttering the first word to break their uneasy silence.

"Tommy…"

His name sounded doubtful, tentative as it rolled off her tongue. Recognizing her hesitation, he moved his hands from her hair to her cheeks, but pulled back slightly to look into her eyes.

"Jude…" he started in response, seeing her confusion return, and sighed. "Stop thinking so much."

She couldn't help but faintly smile, knowing that he could read her like a book.

He smiled back at her reaction, watching as her expression softened. "I'm serious…you're thinking too much."

Her smile faded as she looked up at him earnestly through the falling rain. She still felt unsure of herself, unsure of her decision, but somehow felt comforted by the look in his eyes. He seemed to be so certain of this—so sure of what he wanted, so positive that they would be right together. Her nerves grew calmer just by seeing the determination and sincerity reflected in his gaze.

"Just…be with me," he said softly, leaning forward and delicately kissing her head.

Her eyes fluttered closed and she exhaled deeply, feeling his warm breath against her.

He leaned down further, gently kissing her lips. "Be with me," he repeated quietly, up against her lips.

She opened her eyes, pulling back a bit to collect her thoughts. She knew what she wanted. She knew who she wanted. She knew that Rob could never make her feel this way. No matter what he did or what he said, it would never feel the way she did when she was with Tommy. He had always been there, in her heart and in her mind, and deep down, she knew that all of her hesitation, all of her questions, would disappear once she gave in to what was in her heart.

He searched her eyes for some recognition of her decision, waiting to hear the words that he had been hoping for. "Will you? Will you give us a chance?"

She took a deep breath, gazing up at him. Looking into his eyes, she realized that some people search their whole lives to find the kind of connection, the kind of chemistry, she had with the person standing before her. It wasn't common, it wasn't normal, and she knew that it wouldn't just come around again for her. She was one of the lucky ones. She found her soul mate, so how could she ever think to let him go?

Feeling a lump form at the back of her throat at her sudden insight, she was certain of her decision. So she silently answered his question, by giving him a subtle yet simple nod.

His eyes widened at her movement, appearing to be in disbelief. "Yes? Was that…a yes?"

The edges of her lips turned upwards into a grin, instantly feeling more at ease with her decision.

"Yes," she said quietly, the tears welling up in her eyes. "It's time."

His mood immediately changed, a smile emerging at her words. "Really?"

Unable to speak, she nodded in response, his enthusiasm spreading to make her smile wider.

Through his smile, he leaned forward and captured her lips, pressing his lips to hers excitedly. He pulled away and looked into her eyes, the tears of happiness running down her cheeks.

"You won't regret this…I promise," he said eagerly, his eyes glowing.

"I know," she agreed softly, as he soothingly wiped away her falling tears.

Smiling even wider, he reached down and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her up in the air. She laughed as she felt her feet leave the ground and her body being spun around in a quick turn.

As her feet touched the ground again, he immediately brought his lips to hers once more, both smiling and laughing through the kiss. He pulled back to wrap his arms around her, drawing her into a warm embrace. She held him close, hearing his heart beating just as fast as hers was, and sighed contentedly in his arms.

Closing her eyes, she took a minute to savor the moment. After all of her running, trying to find herself, her journey had ended at the point where it all had started. With a kiss in the rain.

He held onto her firmly, as she thought she heard him sniff a little above her. But a moment later, she heard his voice softly whisper in her ear, "I love you, Jude."

She pulled back to see his teary-eyed expression, his eyes glazed over with emotion. She smiled the widest smile she could and stood up to capture his lips. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him into a tight hug, faintly murmuring in his ear, "I love you, too."

Jude could feel him smiling as he squeezed her tighter, wrapping his arms around her back.

Feeling the rain start to blow around against them, she opened her eyes and leaned back, looking at him intently.

"I do have one request, though," she said, trying to disguise her enthusiasm with a more serious tone.

His smile faded and he shifted to gaze at her sincerely. "Okay. Anything."

Her lips gently curved upwards into a grin as she quietly replied, "I need to get out of the rain."

He smiled and let out a light snicker at her request. "Consider it done."

Pulling out of the embrace, he grabbed one of her hands and turned to snatch his backpack and jacket, which had fallen to the ground as he had stopped her from running. He picked them both up, slinging the backpack over his shoulder and holding the jacket in his free hand, keeping his other hand linked with hers.

He looked at her with a grin and tugged on her hand to bring her closer, kissing her again as she stumbled into him. She giggled giddily through his small kisses, feeling as he let her hand go and pulled away to fondly gaze at her. He wrapped his arm around her, keeping her close, and she slipped her arm around his back. Blissfully, they started walking back towards her apartment, feeling as the rain started to slowly let up and the thunder began to fade into the night.

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_A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I just wanted to let you know that the story isn't ending yet - stay tuned for more!_


	30. Chapter 30

_A/N: Thanks everybody for your responses! I hope you like this next chapter...part of me actually likes it more than the last one. It's not as drama-filled, but we'll be getting back to that stuff soon enough. I also just wanted to let you know that I think I may start posting a new mini-story (the title is tentatively To Forgive & Forget). It'll only be 4-5 chapters--really short for me! So keep your eyes open for it over the next day or two! And now, back to our new couple...ENJOY!_

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The sound of the rain tapped lightly against the window as the cool air permeated through the apartment. Feeling the chilliness against his skin, Tommy kept his eyes closed and mindlessly reached for the blanket at the bottom of the bed. Grabbing onto it, he slid it up further, immediately feeling its warmth cover his exposed body. He dragged it across himself and then took the edge and laid it over the other side of the bed, where Jude was. 

Pulling it over the other side, his hand brushed up against the mattress, feeling the empty spot on the bed. Dazedly, he opened his eyes, blinking a few times to adjust to his surroundings. He was in Jude's bedroom, the cloudiness of the sky outside making it appear as though it was still night. His eyes immediately shifted to the vacant spot beside him, where Jude had been earlier.

Rubbing his eyes to rid the sleep, he hesitantly sat up, still clinging to the blanket to stay warm. He glanced over at the clock to read 9:05am, remembering that it was Sunday and that she couldn't have gone to work. He looked around the room in confusion, seeing his backpack leaning against her dresser and both of their clothing from the night before scattered around the floor. Glancing at her black sweatshirt on the rug which still appeared to be wet from the rain, he couldn't help but grin. All of the memories from the night before came rushing back to him, recalling exactly how he ended up in Jude's apartment.

The memories made him even more curious as to her whereabouts, as his mind began to wander on where she could have gone. Leaning down, he grabbed his boxers and t-shirt next to the bed and slipped them on under the blanket. The chill rushed at him as he slowly stood up, stretching briefly before proceeding towards the door.

Opening the door, he quietly called out her name. Hearing no response, he walked along the hallway, approaching the bathroom door. He leaned his ear up against the closed door and heard the sound of running water. Exhaling in relief that she was in the apartment, he lightly tapped at the bathroom door. Not getting a response, he knocked a little harder.

The door abruptly opened to reveal a slightly disheveled Jude. Her hair was wet and she had a toothbrush hanging out of her mouth. The mirror was steamy from her hot shower, but she was fully dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.

She looked at Tommy in surprise, nearly spitting out her entire mouthful of toothpaste as the door opened.

"Hi," he said with a grin, his eyes squinting from the light in the bathroom.

"Hji," she replied through the toothpaste. "Gev mee one sjec."

He snickered and watched as she turned back towards the sink and spit out the remaining toothpaste, running her toothbrush under the water from the faucet. She grabbed her towel and wiped off her mouth, before turning back towards him

"Hi," she replied with an embarrassed grin.

"Hi," he repeated, grinning back at her. "What are you doing?"

"Brushing my teeth," she answered, turning back towards the bathroom to grab a comb.

"No, I mean what are you doing in _here_?" he asked, reaching out for the edge of her shirt. He grabbed hold of it and gently pulled her towards him. She stopped combing her hair and turned towards him, trying to hide her smile.

He saw her blush a little and pulled her in closer with both hands. He leaned down and gently kissed her lips, muttering softly, "Are you running away from me already?"

She giggled against his lips and lightly kissed him back, before looking up at him thoughtfully. "I don't know…I mean, you _did_ take up more of the bed last night…"

"It wasn't taking up the space, I was just trying to get closer to you," he said with a smug grin.

She laughed and hit him playfully before taking a step back towards the sink. "Those lines don't work on me, Quincy."

"It's not a line," he countered, leaning against the door watching her finish brushing her hair. "It's true."

"Then I didn't realize you were so cheesy," she said with a smile.

"I can't help it," he said innocently. He watched as she put the comb back into the cabinet and wiped the steam off part of the mirror to check her makeup. "Why don't you come back to bed?"

"I can't," she replied quickly, shaking her head. "I have to take care of something."

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion at her response. "At 9am on a Sunday morning? What can be so important that it can't wait a few hours?"

She took a deep breath, continuing to look into the mirror and avoid his gaze. "It's not a big deal, I just need to do something this morning. It should only take an hour or two."

"An hour or two? Jude," he said, walking into the bathroom and putting his hands on her waist to spin her around, "what's going on?"

She looked into his eyes and sighed, knowing she needed to be honest with him. "I need to talk to Rob."

His expression turned to be more surprised. "Now?"

She nodded, "Yes. I need to tell him. I don't want to wait."

He nodded slowly in understanding. "Okay…"

She saw a flicker of disappointment in his eyes and bit her lip in hesitation. "I just…I need to talk to him. I need him to know. And it's not like he did anything wrong here…he deserves to know."

Tommy watched her ramble and nodded as she concluded. "Okay."

She eyed him suspiciously, his tone changing to be more supportive. "Okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine. If you need to go see him, then you should."

"So…you're not upset?" she asked tentatively.

"Why would I be? I mean…you are coming back, aren't you?" he asked, slight panic in his voice.

She smiled and chuckled a little at his question. "Yes," she said confidently. "I'm definitely coming back."

"Then I think you should go. You're going to need to talk to him eventually," he started, pulling her in for a hug, "and selfishly, the last thing I want is for you to have Rob on your mind."

She smiled up at him and asked sweetly, "And what would you prefer I think about?"

He grinned at her and leaned down, giving her a quick kiss on her head. "Us."

"That's what I want too," she said softly. "Which is why it's so important that I do this now. I feel like I can't give us 100 until I talk to him."

He nodded. "I understand. Just because I'll be sitting here all by myself watching the clock shouldn't make you feel guilty at all."

She saw his teasing grin and pushed him lightly, turning back towards the mirror to finish getting ready.

He stood back and watched her, appearing to be lost in his own thoughts. A few moments later, he asked quietly, "What are you going to say?"

She sighed and looked down into the sink below her. "I honestly don't know…part of me wants to tell him everything but the other part of me feels like there's no point in giving all the details. I'm just not sure…the only thing I do know is that I have to tell him we're over."

He nodded quietly, watching as she washed her hands and put her makeup back on the shelf. "Do you think he'll be surprised?"

She shrugged, turning back towards him. "Maybe. We've been taking a break over the last few days to figure things out because he knew there was something going on with me. But I doubt he's expecting me to give up."

Her face fell into a thoughtful yet distressed expression, contemplating how she would handle everything. He saw her appearance change and walked back over to her, holding her hands in his.

"You're doing the right thing," he reassured her.

She nodded timidly, whispering, "I know. I just want it to go smoothly."

"It will," he said encouragingly, with a warm grin. He took her hands and brought them up to his lips, gently placing a kiss on each. She grinned in response, as he added, "You should go. Get it over with. Then you can come back sooner."

She smiled appreciatively and leaned in to capture his lips quickly, before saying, "I'll be back. Soon."

"I'll be waiting," he said before kissing her once more and letting her go.

She took a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom, grabbing her coat and her purse, ready to officially end one relationship and start another.


	31. Chapter 31

_A/N: Hi again. Here's the next part. I just wanted to let you know that this story is sadly drawing to a close. I'm thinking there will be another 2-3 chapters and then an epilogue. I'm sad to see it end, I've really enjoyed writing it, but I can assure you that there's still plenty of drama left to cover in the last few chapters. I like to end on a high note. :) So thanks for all of your reviews and for reading--I can't tell you how much it's meant to me. And here's the next part, ENJOY!_

* * *

Standing outside Rob's front door, Jude's heart was pounding as she raised her hand and knocked. She knew it was early and she hadn't bothered calling. She just wanted to do this and get it over with. 

She heard movement from behind the door, as her mind immediately went to what she would say when she saw him. The sound of the lock being unbolted made her heart race and within seconds, she was looking at Rob's confused face on the other side of the door.

"Jude?"

"Hi," she said timidly. "I know I didn't call or anything…I hope you don't mind that I just stopped by…"

"Umm, well, I—"

"Can I come in?" she asked quickly, biting her lip in nervousness.

He scratched his head and took a quick glance back into his apartment before opening the door. "Sure."

She uneasily walked through the doorway, stepping foot into his apartment, which she hadn't seen in weeks.

"So, what's up?" he asked, looking at her.

Jude took a deep breath and swallowed her nerves before speaking. "Rob, we have to talk."

"Okay…" he said slowly, taking a seat on the couch.

"I know we said that we would take a break, but I think I'm ready to end that phase," she said carefully.

"End the break phase?" he asked curiously, trying to understand her words.

"Yeah," she said nervously. "I think I'm ready…but not just the break. I think, maybe…everything."

"Everything?"

She nodded uncertainly, "Yeah."

He listened to her closely, gazing down at the sound of her words.

She walked over and sat down beside him on the couch. "I know this probably isn't what you expected me to say…I really did want us to get back together and be happy…but I thought about it and realized that some things can't be forced, you know?"

He shook his head at the sound of her words and stood up. "I don't know, Jude. I'm really confused by this. Last week, you were crying about not wanting to give up on us and now you're ready throw in the towel?"

She swallowed hard and looked at her hands on her lap. "I just…had a change of heart."

"Change of heart?" he questioned, noticing as her foot began to tap lightly on the ground and she fiddled with her nails. Taking a moment to absorb her demeanor, his eyes suddenly opened wider in comprehension.

"Change of heart," he repeated, but more certainly. "You mean literally, right?"

She looked up at him with a flash of panic, not wanting to discuss the details of her decision or anything involving Tommy. "What do you mean?"

"Oh come on, Jude," he said, walking around his living room, his tone getting more heated. "How stupid do you think I am? You think I don't know why your whole attitude changed a few weeks ago? You think I didn't see who you really wanted to be with this whole time?"

"Rob, _you_ were the one I wanted to be with," she said, standing up to meet his eyes.

"Really?" he questioned, standing across from her with his hands on his hips. "So tell me Jude, why exactly were you fighting with Tommy at your sister's wedding? Why wouldn't you talk to him?"

Jude's face immediately changed to alarm, not knowing how to answer his question. "I…I thought we went through this Rob. I don't want to discuss it."

"Did you sleep with him?" Rob asked directly.

Her jaw dropped at his question. "What?"

"Did you sleep with him?" he repeated slowly, harshly.

"I…I…" she stumbled, visibly flustered by his question.

"Is that why you two got in a fight? And why you pulled away from me?" he continued callously.

"Rob, I—"

"Just admit it Jude. I'm not stupid. I know what happened. You cheated on me with him, didn't you?" he asked, eyeing her crossly. "And now this sudden change of heart just means that you want to be with him, right?"

Jude shook her head and backed away from him, her mind working overtime to figure out how to respond. She felt the tears build up as his accusations mounted, all of them proving to be true.

"Just tell me the truth, Jude," he pleaded convincingly. "I think I deserve that much."

His appeal resonated with her, as she looked into his eyes and saw his sincerity. She felt guilty and responsible for giving up on their relationship and the least she could do was give him a small piece of the truth.

Her voice came out soft and strained. "He broke off his engagement and I…I sort of…want to be with him. I want to…see where things go."

He scoffed at her response and shook his head. "And the fight?"

She looked down shamefully. Not being able to say the words, she silently nodded her head.

He sighed loudly watching her. "God, Jude. How could you?"

"I didn't mean for it to happen," she said defensively. "It just did…one minute we were just hanging out and the next—"

"Spare me the details," he interrupted coldly. He let out a bitter chuckle and said, "And to think of how many times I forced myself to be supportive when you went to a movie or to dinner with him."

She stood in silence taking all of his insults, genuinely feeling horrible for her actions.

"I can't believe you—I trusted you. I loved you. And you had zero respect for me in return," he spat.

She glanced at him with a wounded eye. "That's not true. I loved you and I _did_ respect you. I didn't want to hurt you, I never wanted to put you through this."

"But you did, didn't you? Just go," he ordered, pointing towards the door. "Get out."

The tears slowly rolled down her cheeks as she looked at him one last time. His face was cold as he stood before her. She had never seen him so upset, so angry, and she felt incredibly guilty knowing that she had caused him this pain.

Silently, she began to walk towards the door, giving him what he wanted. Her head hung low and she felt weak as her hand went for the door.

But as she began to turn the knob, she heard a voice behind her that she didn't recognize.

"Rob, what's going on?"

Jude froze at the sound of the female voice behind her. She quickly turned back to see a petite blonde standing in the hallway to his bedroom. She was wearing one of his old U2 t-shirts and nothing else.

Jude's jaw dropped as her eyes instantly went to Rob, who stood frozen in his place with his eyes wide in horror.

The girl in the hallway must've known something was askew as she crinkled her nose at him and asked, "Is everything okay?"

Jude's hand released the door knob as she turned to observe Rob's reaction fully.

He stuttered a bit in confusion as he attempted to speak. "Uhhh…Jen…go back inside. I'll, ummm…be right there."

But Jen didn't budge. She just stood in the hallway with a questioning expression, her eyes scanning Jude across the room.

Feeling the reality of the situation set in, Jude suddenly felt a weight being lifted from her shoulders. She slowly walked closer to Rob, who was standing between the two of them.

"Jen?" she asked him suspiciously.

"Umm, yeah…" Rob answered awkwardly. As Jude edged in closer, she noticed the sweat beads forming around his forehead and the flushed color that had taken over his normal pale skin.

Jude crossed her arms, the anger beginning to rise. "And who exactly is she?" she asked with a sharp edge.

"Robbie and I are dating," Jen answered quickly, still appearing to be confused. "And who are you?"

Jude's face suddenly emerged into a malicious grin. "You and _Robbie_ are dating? How nice."

Rob ran a hand through his hair, the beads of sweat becoming more noticeable.

"How long, Robbie?" Jude asked him patronizingly.

Rob turned towards her and started, "Jude, I got frustrated. I could tell you didn't want to be with me and I couldn't just wait around—"

"How long?" Jude asked again, her voice getting louder in anger.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably and gazed at the floor. "Just a few weeks."

"Two months, actually," Jen said proudly.

Jude's eyes widened and her face became redder at her statement. "Two months? Two months?!" she cried, turning to Rob. "You…you…hypocrite!"

"Jude, it's not like that—"

"Save it, Rob. You just made me feel so bad about my actions, but you were dating someone behind my back for two months! That's way before we took this break and before I ever slept with Tommy...how dare you!" she hollered, watching him squirm in humiliation.

"Wait," Jen said, listening to Jude's rant, "so…did you two date or something?"

Jude turned to the blond girl. "Jen, right? Well, Jen, I hate to tell you this, but your Robbie here has been cheating on you. And if I were you, I'd get out now. He's a complete jackass and not worth your time."

At that, she turned and headed towards the door, as Rob took a few steps after her. "Just wait, Jude, let me explain—"

"Explain?" she replied incredulously. She looked him over and shook her head. "Screw you, Rob. I hope I never see you again."

And no sooner had the words left her mouth than she had opened the door to his apartment and slammed it shut behind her. She took a deep breath outside his door for a second, taking in everything that had just happened. She was in disbelief and infuriated by what she had just witnessed.

But as she walked down the hallway and out his front door, her anger started to fade and was replaced by a sense of satisfaction, realizing that maybe the decisions she had made weren't so bad after all.


	32. Chapter 32

_A/N: Thanks everybody for all of your reviews! You're all the best! Here's the next chapter...and I'm hoping to get the next one after this posted on Wednesday, as long as you all like this one. :) So thanks again and ENJOY!_

* * *

Running through the cold rain on her way home from Rob's apartment, Jude hurried into her building, putting her hood down and feeling her shivers gently fade. She stood under the heat vent for a few moments, taking off her gloves and shoving them back in her pockets, before climbing the four flights of stairs to get to her apartment. She couldn't help but smile in anticipation of what—or who—was behind her door, causing her to take the stairs two at a time. Finally arriving on her floor, she walked closer to her apartment, hearing faint and muffled music coming through the door.

A grin emerged on her face as she turned to her bag to fish out her keys, hidden somewhere at the bottom. She heard them jingle and locked her hand around them, lifting them out of her bag and up to the lock. But before she had a chance to put the key in the lock, the door suddenly flew open.

She looked startled as the burst of wind whipped through her hair from the door opening. But a second later, she looked up into Tommy's blue eyes.

"Hi," he said with a grin, standing in her doorway.

"Hi," she replied. "Can I come in?"

"Only on one condition," he said slowly. "Results?"

She sighed, looking down in disappointment. "Well…let's just say it didn't go so well."

His face turned to be more concerned, furrowing his brow. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," she confirmed with a somber tone.

"Did you…I mean, are you…" he started, unsure of how to phrase his question.

Her eyes met his, immediately understanding what he was trying to ask. "Yes. I did. And, I am."

"Yeah?" he asked with an edge of enthusiasm. "But…you said it didn't go well."

"It didn't," she said with a shrug. "He didn't take it too well…and neither did the little blonde girl who emerged from his bedroom."

Tommy immediately looked shocked. "What?"

"My ex-boyfriend," she stated frankly, "is an ass. A cheating ass."

He gazed at her in surprise, absorbing her words and considering the outcome of their relationship. But he watched as her eyes revealed her own frustration and hurt, grabbing the edges of her jacket to bring her closer. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, looking up at him. "Yeah…I'm still a little shaken by the whole thing, but I'll be fine. It did help make the whole process easier though, you know?"

He nodded in understanding, "Yeah, I guess that's true."

"And I'm happy it's done," she said, wrapping her arms around him.

"Me too," he replied, enveloping her in a hug. They held each other for a few moments until he pulled back and said, "I bet I know something that would make you feel better."

"Oh really?" she asked, identifying his sneaky tone.

"Yep," he said with a grin. "It's guaranteed to make your troubles disappear."

"Umm, okay, Quincy," she started knowingly, stepping back from his hold, "if you're thinking what I think you are, I'd really prefer the bedroom instead of the hallway."

"Harrison!" he exclaimed, feigning shock. "Get your mind out of the gutter. _That_ was not what I was thinking…at least not yet…"

She smacked his arm as he laughed lightly. Without another word, he grabbed her hand and pulled her inside, closing the door behind her. She heard the music as the door shut, and her eyes immediately fell on the coffee table.

"What is this?" she asked, excitement resonating in her voice.

"What does it look like?" he asked in return, pulling her jacket off of her. "Breakfast."

"Yum!" she exclaimed, shedding her jacket and taking a seat on the couch, eyeing the tray of bagels, cream cheese, danish, croissants, and muffins. He watched her eyes light up at the sight and instead of joining her, went towards the kitchen to get her last treat.

"I can't believe you did all of this," she remarked, scanning her choices and picking a blueberry muffin from the tray. "How did you know I'd be hungry?"

He looked at her from the kitchen with a knowing expression. "Jude, when are you _not_ hungry?"

"Hey!" she shouted through a mouthful of muffin. He laughed and walked back, handing her a big mug of coffee. Her eyes lit up again immediately.

"And coffee? Thanks…wow, Quincy, you're good," she said with a smile, taking the mug. She took a sip as he sat beside her, smiling at her enthusiasm.

"Yep," he said self-assuredly, leaning back against the couch. "I believe those words were mentioned last night too."

She turned towards him and rolled her eyes. "Right—you're like the perfect man. Coffee and sex. What more could a girl want?"

"Exactly my thoughts too," he replied teasingly.

He watched her eat the muffin and turned thoughtful, letting out a sigh. "Jude, there's something I wanted to talk to you about…"

She turned back to look at him in concern, unsure as to what was left to discuss. "Okay. What is it?"

He sat up a little straighter and looked into her eyes. "Well…yesterday, when I got kicked out of my apartment, the only thing I had time to grab was my backpack. I threw a couple of shirts and things in there, but all of my stuff is still back at my place."

She nodded slowly, pressing him to go on. "Okay…"

"So I have to go get it all. At some point, at least. I can't exactly live on a couple of t-shirts and one stick of deodorant forever," he continued.

"Thank you for remembering the deodorant, by the way," she joked. "So what's the problem? You don't want to see Jessica? Just go during the day when she won't be there."

He nodded, saying, "Yeah, that's a good idea. It's just…I'm not really sure…what to do with everything once I have it."

She tilted her head at him in confusion. "I don't understand."

"Jude," he started, moving up on the couch to look into her eyes more seriously, "I ended my engagement because I wanted to be with you, but I didn't really expect…I mean, I think I should start looking for my own place."

"What?" she questioned immediately. "Why not stay here?"

"Because…I've got a lot of stuff and…living together is a big deal. We just got together, I don't want you to feel like it's too much."

"I don't," she said quickly, with a shake of her head. "It's not too much. I mean, it's a lot of change, but it's all good change. And I love you being here…unless you don't want to…"

"No, I do," he countered, "I just don't want you to do this because you feel like you have to. It's a big step."

"I know. But I want you to. Look, you're buying me breakfast already so why wouldn't I?" she said with a grin, looking at the breakfast tray in front of her. He smiled too, but then appeared more hesitant again.

She continued more seriously, "Tommy, you don't have to. You can go get your own place. But I'd be really happy to have you here. And honestly, we've got a lot of time to make up for."

"True," he agreed tentatively. He looked into her eyes and saw her sincerity, asking, "Are you sure? Absolutely positive?"

"Yes," she said with a smile. "And if it seems like it's too much, then I'll help you re-pack."

"Aww, how sweet," he said with an eye roll, pulling her in for a hug. "You will let me know if I'm in your way or anything? If you're not happy with it, I want to know."

"Okay," she agreed. "But don't expect to get a big portion of my closet."

He laughed lightly, kissing the top of her head. "Okay, okay...it's a deal."

She pulled back a little to look into his eyes earnestly. "So since we're going to be living together...I'm assuming you don't have any issues with being a rebound?"

He sniggered a little and leaned in to press his lips to hers softly. "I'd prefer to think of him as the rebound."

"Good point," she muttered softly before leaning back in and bringing her lips to his. He willingly kissed her back, lightly running his tongue against hers to intensify the connection. Her fingers traveled into his hair as his hands touched the side of her face, holding her steady. She mindlessly shifted forward a bit to be closer as his hands dragged down her body to wrap around her back.

Before getting too comfortable, he broke the kiss, staying close to her. He wrapped one arm around her back and the other under her legs, gently lifting her off the couch as he stood.

"Come on, roomie," he said with a grin as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"What about breakfast?" she asked innocently, half-joking.

"I'll buy you lunch," he replied as she smiled warmly in agreement. Without another word, she leaned in to press her lips to his as he walked back to her bedroom, kicking the door closed on their way in.


	33. Chapter 33

_I'm soooo sorry this is late. I know I said Wednesday, but the week got way crazier than I expected. So this post and the next one are a little longer than normal to make up for it. I think after this chapter, the next one will be the last one, and then the epilogue...but we'll see as I keep working on it. I might have too much to squeeze into one chapter. Anyway, thanks for your patience and all of your reminder reviews. :) I hope you enjoy it enough to make up for the wait (I love this chapter). :)_

* * *

"What about breakfast?" Jude asked innocently, half-joking. 

"I'll buy you lunch," Tommy replied as she smiled warmly in agreement. Without another word, she leaned in to press her lips to his as he walked back to her bedroom, kicking the door closed on their way in.

-----------

"Hello?" Jude said softly, her voice strained from sleep.

"Jude?" she heard on the other end, trying to focus on the voice.

"Yeah?" she responded absentmindedly as she rubbed her eyes to wake up.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just waking up from a nap, Sadie…Sadie? Sadie!" she exclaimed, finally realizing who was on the other end of the line.

Listening to her sister's laughter, Jude immediately hushed, glancing over to see Tommy roll over, still asleep. She smiled to herself and quickly leaned over, gently placing a kiss on his head, before pulling herself out from underneath the covers.

"Hold on one sec, Sades?" she whispered, while steadying the phone on her shoulder and slipping on a sweatshirt and shorts from her dresser.

"Sorry, Sades, I'm back," she said, creeping out of the bedroom and into the hallway. "How are you? How was the honeymoon?"

"It was amazing. Totally relaxing and fun. And I got really tan," she boasted.

"Of course you did, Miss Coppertone Princess," Jude replied, collapsing onto her couch. "How was the hotel? Did you get to swim with dolphins or parasail?"

"Yeah, we did both. They were really fun, although Kwest somehow managed to get sick while we were parasailing."

"Does he have a fear of heights or something?"

"No, more like one too many margaritas," Sadie joked. "It was great. We took plenty of pictures, so you'll get to see a lot of it."

"I can't wait! A trip to Hawaii sounds so good right now…" Jude reflected dazedly.

"It was perfect," Sadie recalled wistfully. "So, how are you? Any more drama while I was gone or did you manage to have a low-key week like I asked?"

Jude couldn't help but burst out laughing at her question, thinking about all of the events that had occurred while her sister was away.

Totally confused, Sadie said, "Umm…okay…I'm going to take it that the laughter means you didn't stick to my request?"

Quieting down, Jude shook her head. "No—sorry, Sadie. I couldn't help it though – drama just seems to find me."

"Right," Sadie replied doubtfully. "So what happened this time? Did Tommy and his fiancée run off and elope or something?"

"Not exactly…" Jude said vaguely. "Let's just say that over the past week, the dating scene in New York has gotten very interesting."

"What does that mean?" Sadie asked, even more confused.

Jude sighed and explained a little more. "Well, let's see… Rob and I decided to take a break, which ended up being the smartest decision I ever made because I found out that he had been cheating on me over the last couple months."

"Cheating?" Sadie exclaimed. "No way!"

"Oh yes, but wait—the week gets better," Jude started. "So Rob and I are done. Officially. And then, another couple you might know called it quits too."

"Another couple?" Sadie asked, thinking of who she could be referring to. "Wait—you're not talking about—hold on. Tell me it's not—"

"It is," Jude confirmed, not even needing names to figure out what she was thinking.

There was a pause on the other end of the line, then Sadie muttered, "But…they were engaged."

"I know," Jude said, trying to hide her anticipation of telling her sister the next part. "But they're done. Totally over."

"Wow," Sadie replied, totally stunned. "I can't believe they actually broke up. I mean, clearly they were having issues, but—wait a second. What caused this? Did they end it—wait."

Instead of replying, Jude sensed the beginning of Sadie's comprehension and just let her sister slowly put the pieces of the situation together.

"Was it—was it because of what happened with you and Tommy?" Sadie asked.

"Sort of," Jude replied ambiguously.

"Sort of?" Sadie responded in irritation. "Jude, you're being all weird. Is everything okay? You're seriously starting to worry me."

"I'm fine," Jude attested. "Never been better."

"Seriously?" Sadie questioned dubiously.

"Yes, seriously," Jude confirmed.

"Then why are you so…secretive? Just tell me what happened already!" Sadie exclaimed in exasperation.

"But it's more fun to listen to you try to figure it out," Jude stated with a snigger. "And you were getting really close…"

"Jude, enough. What the hell happened? Tommy and that girl broke up, you broke up with Rob, and then—wait. Wait one second. Tommy broke up with his fiancée, so he's single now. And you broke up with your boyfriend, so you're single now…"

"Yeah…" Jude replied, drawing the word out and smiling widely.

"So—are you—did you—wait. How did you know he broke up with his fiancée?" Sadie stumbled, her voice getting louder in eagerness. "Who told you exactly?"

"Tommy did," Jude replied casually.

"I did what?" she heard from beside her, looking up from her position on the couch to see Tommy standing at the entrance to the living room.

She smiled at him and mouthed the word "Sadie" to him, pointing to the phone. He nodded and sat down next to her, as she adjusted the phone so he could hear too.

"Jude, what was that?" Sadie asked quickly, hearing a man's voice in the background. "Oh my god. Jude…tell me that wasn't…it can't be…that wasn't Rob."

"Nope, it wasn't," Jude replied, her laughter escaping just enough for Sadie to hear a bit. Tommy couldn't help but laugh a little too, picking up on the fact that Sadie was putting everything together.

"Was that—Jude! Just tell me already! What is going on?!" Sadie yelled over the phone, completely frustrated.

Jude kept laughing a little, thoroughly entertained by her sister's aggravation. Without hesitation, she handed the phone to Tommy who smiled and took it, sensing Jude's plan.

He quickly cleared his throat and then said, "Welcome home, Sadie."

There was silence on the other end of the phone as Jude bit her lip to keep her from laughing any more. She leaned in closer to the phone and waited for her sister's reaction, knowing that the sound of his voice probably flustered her more than anything.

After a few moments, they both heard a quiet voice say, "Tommy?"

He smiled at Jude, who was already grinning, and replied, "Yes?"

They both remained quiet and listened as Sadie nearly had a panic attack on the other end of the line. Her breathing became heavier and she started muttering obscenities.

"Sades? You okay there?" Jude asked into the phone.

"Jude—Tommy—you're…you're…"

"In the same room?" Tommy offered with a chuckle.

"Both in pajamas?" Jude added, not being able to contain her giggles.

Sadie mumbled a couple of incoherent sentences before asking, "So…what is this? How did this happen? Are you two…what are you two?"

Jude glanced at Tommy uneasily, not knowing how to answer the question since they hadn't really had that conversation yet. They agreed to live together but the exact terminology of their relationship had yet to be defined.

His expression showed a bit of hesitation too, but it quickly disappeared as he responded, "We're together."

Jude grinned, happy to hear his response. He smiled too, putting his arm around her and pulling her in closer. She leaned against him as he pressed the speaker button on the phone, allowing him to put the phone down in front of them.

"Really?" Sadie asked hopefully, her voice becoming softer, like she was getting choked up.

"Yeah," Jude replied sweetly.

"Wow, this is…totally unexpected! And totally crazy! And totally—"

"Overdue?" Jude offered.

"Yeah…definitely. I just can't believe…" Sadie started, still totally in shock. "You know, hold on one sec—KWEST!"

At the sound of Sadie screaming for her husband, both Jude and Tommy jumped a little, startled by her abrupt change in volume.

"KWEST! GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE NOW!!"

Jude and Tommy both couldn't help but laugh at Sadie's tone and bossiness. Jude looked at him with a grin and teased, "See what you have to look forward to?"

Tommy laughed lightly and replied, "I think I can handle it."

She gave him a quick kiss before turning her attention back to the phone, hearing some faint talking coming from the other end. Sadie was clearly trying to get Kwest up to speed on everything that had happened while they were away. There were some muffled voices and some confusion, until they both could hear Kwest say,

"They what?!"

"I know!" Sadie exclaimed.

"Are you serious?" he asked Sadie, sounding skeptical.

"See for yourself—they're on the phone."

There was a little movement on the other end and then Kwest's voice came through the line, "Hello?"

"Hey, Kwest. Welcome back!" Jude exclaimed, leaning forward towards the speaker phone.

"Thanks, Jude," he replied. "Umm…so this story that Sadie just told me, it's not true, is it?"

"What do you think?" Tommy asked from next to her.

There was quiet for a few moments and then Kwest asked, "T?"

"Yeah. Congratulations, man," Tommy replied.

"Holy—" Kwest started, realizing she wasn't kidding.

"I told you!" Sadie exclaimed, clicking in from another phone.

"Wait a second," Kwest said, sounding more serious. "How did this happen? I mean, we were only gone for a week."

"Well, a lot can happen in a week," Jude said with a smile.

"Clearly," he replied. "So you two are official?"

"Yep," Tommy confirmed.

"Wow. We really picked a bad week to be away, Sadie."

"Umm, okay. We'll try to plan our next honeymoon a little better then," Sadie replied with a snigger.

They all laughed lightly as a calm washed over the group. They continued talking, with Sadie and Kwest recounting stories from their honeymoon as Jude and Tommy briefing them on their eventful week. Listening to everyone excitedly telling stories, Jude snuggled up to Tommy and reflected on how perfect everything felt. She couldn't believe she had ever doubted her decision. The four of them were always supposed to be like this—a combination of best friends, sisters, and significant others. All of them happy and content in their interwoven lives.


	34. Chapter 34

_A/N: Okay, here it is--the last chapter!! This will be followed up probably next week with a two-part epilogue, which I think will be posted all at once so no one has to wait any longer. :) I just wanted to thank everyone for all of your reviews for this story. I have really enjoyed writing it and reading your feedback has only made me want to make the story better. So I hope you've all enjoyed reading it so far and keep your eyes open for the eppy. And happy New Year!!_

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"Wow, you look amazing," Tommy remarked as Jude stepped into the living room, where he was waiting. She smiled and did a quick twirl, showing off her black dress. It was simple yet pretty, with wide straps and an A-line skirt hitting just above her knee. She wore simple black heels and dangling gold earrings. 

"Thanks," she replied, slipping on a sheer black sweater on top of the dress. "You clean up pretty well yourself."

He grinned and walked closer to her, as she observed his black pants and blue button-down shirt.

"Well, I _did_ shower for you," he said, putting a hand on her waist. "Although I couldn't find my shampoo so my hair smells like your peach one."

She laughed lightly and said, "It's very masculine on you, though. I like it."

He smiled and leaned in, gently brushing his lips to hers. She touched the edge of his shirt, feeling the crispness of it on her fingers. They both pulled back a little, looking into each other's eyes.

"Ready to go?" he asked softly.

"Sure," she said, stepping back to grab her purse on the couch. As she turned back to him, her eyes scanned the room, glancing at the various boxes and crates stacked in all corners. He had gone to his old apartment earlier that day to retrieve the rest of his belongings, which were all brought back to her place.

She bit her lip, as he went to get their coats, and said hesitantly, "Maybe we should postpone this. We could finish unpacking all of your stuff first and then go."

He turned back towards her and replied, "Jude, it's going to take a few days to get settled. And I think we've postponed this long enough."

She sighed and said, "I guess that's true."

He held her coat out for her to put on, as she walked over and slipped into it. "I suppose five years _is_ a little too long to wait for a first date," she said with a grin.

"You think?" he asked jokingly. "Okay, Miss Harrison. Shall we?"

She nodded, taking hold of his hand. "We shall."

He turned the lights off and opened the door for her before exiting the apartment and heading out for their first official date.

----

They spent the next few hours at his favorite Italian restaurant, just a few blocks from her apartment. It was quaint and romantic, someplace she had never been, with faint music and soft lighting. They laughed and shared stories as the hours flew by and the bottle of wine began to disappear.

Walking back home, they took their time, arms around each other as they weaved down the familiar streets. They paused at every couple of blocks, not being able to last too long without sharing a kiss. Jude had never felt so happy in her life. She was on cloud nine, not being able to stop smiling.

As they approached the memorable street corner where they had reunited a few months earlier, they waited patiently for the light to change.

"And this…this is where it all began…" Tommy reminisced, pulling her in closer with his arm resting around her waist.

"Well, began _again_," Jude clarified. "And really, that would be the Starbucks across the street."

"Close enough," he murmured quietly, leaning over and capturing her lips with his. She turned towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck, keeping her lips steady on his. He held her tightly, not caring about the onlookers or passer-bys as the light changed.

Running out of oxygen, they both separated, staying close. She smiled against him and quietly muttered, "That peach shampoo is really starting to grow on me."

He laughed lightly and kissed her head before pulling back and taking her hand. Turning towards the intersection to cross, they abruptly stopped and looked at the figure standing before them.

"Jessica?" Tommy asked quietly, his voice wavering.

Jessica stood before them with her arms crossed, a stern look on her face. Jude's heart instantly began to race, looking back and forth between the two of them, seeing the panic in Tommy's eyes.

"Well, it looks like you've moved on pretty quickly," Jessica said coldly.

Tommy shifted uncomfortably, running his free hand through his hair while he held Jude's in the other.

"So I take it this is what you meant when you said we weren't right together?" Jessica asked callously.

He took a deep breath, glancing over at Jude who was biting her lip, clearly uncomfortable. He looked back at Jessica, still standing with her arms crossed.

"I didn't lie when I said that," he replied reluctantly. "It didn't matter why—we _weren't_ right together."

"And exactly how long after you said that were you with someone else?"

He glanced at her uneasily, wanting to escape this conversation. "Jessica—"

"I can't say I'm shocked," Jessica continued, not bothering to let him speak, looking between the two of them, "but I didn't realize the recovery time for getting over a fiancée would be quite so fast…"

He sighed, letting her vent, gently squeezing Jude's hand as a sign of reassurance.

"…and you," Jessica resumed, staring at Jude, "did you plan all of this? Did you use everything I told you that night at the bar to manipulate the situation?"

Jude's eyes widened in disbelief at Jessica's accusation. "What? No! I didn't plan any of this!"

"Jessica," Tommy said decisively, "if you want to blame someone, blame me. Jude didn't have anything to do with this. It was my decision, my choice. I wanted to be with her…"

Jessica looked down listening to him, visibly pained by his words. Tommy saw her reaction and quietly muttered, "I'm sorry."

"No, you're not," Jessica replied immediately, taking a deep breath to pull herself together. "It's fine. I'll be fine."

Tommy and Jude glanced over at each other in apprehension, not knowing what to say as Jessica stood up straighter and adjusted her coat.

"Oh, I almost forgot, I have a little parting gift for you," Jessica said, digging into her purse. "One that I didn't expect you to reuse," she grumbled bitterly, before pulling a small item from her bag and walking over to Tommy. She held up the item in front of him—it was her ring. He looked at it briefly before looking into her eyes, seeing her anger and hurt. Meeting his gaze, she harshly shoved the ring into his hand.

"Maybe next time it'll actually mean something," she muttered tersely before brushing past him and walking away from them.

Tommy took the ring and put it in his pocket, turning to watch Jessica down the street. Seeing her reach the far street corner, he sighed and turned back to Jude, wrapping an arm around her tightly.

Wordlessly, they began walking towards Jude's apartment, the tension and awkwardness of the situation becoming overwhelming. Jude couldn't find the right words to say and for the life of her, she couldn't tell what he was thinking. He held a blank expression, clearly in thought, silently walking along, looking straight ahead.

A few feet away from her apartment, Jude suddenly stopped walking. He took a step and realized she had stopped, turning back to face her.

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" she repeated, trying to remain calm but growing frustrated at his lack of reaction. "Tommy, you just saw your ex-fiancée. For the first time since you left her. And she was…she was…"

"Bitter?" Tommy offered quietly.

"Yes, bitter," Jude said. "And upset. And shocked…we just witnessed her entire spectrum of emotions. But you're not showing a single one in return."

He sighed and looked away. "What do you want me to say, Jude? That I feel bad knowing that I put her through all of that? That I hate what I did but I'm not sorry I did it? She has every right to feel all of those things…but I'm not about to take back anything that happened."

Jude remained quiet, looking down at the ground, replaying all of Jessica's words in her head.

"I feel horrible," she muttered softly.

He took a few steps closer to her, taking her hands in his. "Don't. You didn't do anything wrong. If I hadn't asked her to marry me in the first place—"

"But you didn't know," Jude said in his defense. "You didn't know any of this would happen."

"Yeah, but I did know that she wasn't the right one and I did it anyway," he continued, both of them growing quiet again.

"I can't believe that just happened," Jude murmured.

"I know," he agreed with a quick shake of his head. "I guess it had to happen sooner or later. We only live two blocks away."

"Yeah," she agreed distantly. "But I don't know if I can handle seeing her on a regular basis."

"I can't," he confirmed. "We'll figure out something. It's a big city. There's got to be a way to avoid seeing her."

Jude nodded hesitantly, taking a step forward and releasing his hands to wrap her arms around him. He circled his arms around her in return, holding her close, and let out a deep sigh.

Staying against him, Jude curiously dipped her hands into his coat pockets to feel the ring. She pulled it out and stepped back a bit to look at it. He watched her, waiting for her reaction, as she turned it around and looked at it closely.

"It's pretty," she said quietly. "Did you pick it out yourself?"

"Sort of," he replied. "She told me what she wanted."

She nodded a little, looking up at him. "What are you going to do with it now?"

He shrugged, gently taking the ring back and looking at it. "I don't know…sell it maybe."

"Yeah?" she questioned in surprise.

He nodded, "Probably. I don't want to keep it."

She nodded slowly, as he put it back in his pocket and wrapped his arm around her waist. They silently started walking again, approaching her apartment. As they were a few paces from the front door, he leaned into her and whispered,

"Besides, it's not really your style anyway."

A grin immediately emerged on her face, turning towards him to see him smiling back at her. Tightening her grasp on his jacket, and leaning in towards him, she whispered back,

"You're right. It's not."

He smiled widely at her and leaned in further to place a light kiss on her lips. Approaching the front door, he stepped out of her hold to open the door for her, following her closely into the building. Without another word, they walked contently up the stairs and through the doorway into their apartment.


	35. Epilogue

Sadly, here's the last post for this story...it's a two-part epilogue, but I'm posting both parts at the same time so you can read them together. I really hope you like the ending--it's pretty long since there was a lot to include but I hope it gives good closure to the story. I'll make a few more comments at the end, but for now, ENJOY!

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****Epilogue Part I**

"Sadie, can you please just take it?" Jude shouted, shoving a box into her sister's hands.

"But I seriously just got this french manicure," Sadie whined, sliding her hands under the box and peering down towards her newly done nails. "This is just not good timing."

"Well, I'm very sorry, but you did volunteer to help," Jude continued from behind a stack of boxes.

"Help decorate maybe, not help you move!" Sadie exclaimed, watching as her sister closed the trunk of the car and began walking up the stone steps to kick open the front door.

Huffing, Sadie quickly followed her inside, putting the box she was holding on the first table she saw. She immediately held up her hands, examining her nails to make sure everything was still intact, then watched as her sister began taking CD's out of one of the boxes on the countertop.

Sadie sighed and walked over to join her, grabbing another box and pulling out the set of mugs that was inside.

"How much longer do you think it'll be until they get back with lunch?" Sadie asked.

"I don't know," Jude replied. "They haven't seen each other in years…I'm sure they'll get to lunch eventually."

"I hope so," Sadie said, stepping back from the counter to gaze around the room. "You know, I really do like this place."

"Me too," Jude said, turning around to follow her sister's gaze. "Although you _did_ help pick it out, so I'd assume you would like it."

"Yeah, but it looks better with some of your stuff in it," Sadie said, strolling towards the couch in the middle of the room and sitting down.

"I guess, but there's still so much to do," Jude added, putting her empty box on the ground and walking over to the couch, collapsing next to her sister. "We're moving from a one-bedroom apartment to a three-bedroom townhouse. There's a lot to do to fill those extra rooms."

"You'll get it all done," Sadie said with a smile. "By the way, Mom freaked out when I told her you two were coming home."

"You should've heard her reaction when I told her I was dating Tommy," Jude said with a laugh.

"And Dad?" Sadie asked.

Jude shrugged. "Dad wasn't too thrilled about Tommy, but he's happy to have me back in Toronto. And after some time, I think he'll come around on Tommy."

Sadie nodded understandingly. "He still doesn't like Kwest. I don't think he'll ever like anyone we date…or marry."

"Very true," Jude agreed, looking around the empty room. "You know, I thought it would be weird coming home after not being here for so long, but it's nice. Comforting, in a way."

"Well it's really nice to have you back," Sadie said, smiling at her sister. "I guess that run-in with Tom's ex wasn't so bad after all."

"Yeah, I guess not," Jude said. "I'm just happy we got out of the area before she went all _Fatal Attraction_ on us."

Sadie laughed lightly. "Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad you're here."

Jude smiled warmly in response, just as the door opened and the smell of pizza wafted through the empty house.

"Mmmm….pizza…." Jude murmured from her seat on the couch as Tommy and Kwest entered through the front door.

"Taking a break already?" Tommy asked her with a teasing grin.

"I couldn't keep unpacking…I was famished," Jude griped with an innocent smile, standing up as Tommy and Kwest put the pizza on the counter.

"Awww, poor baby," Tommy cooed, walking over to her and placing a gentle kiss on her lips. "We got Rod's Pizza, which I know you love…"

"Rod's? I didn't even know that place was still around!" Jude cried in excitement, grabbing his hand and pulling him over to the counter where Sadie and Kwest were taking slices. She hopped onto one of the stools at the counter as Tommy stood next to her, giving her a slice of the pizza. They all stood around and inhaled the pizza as though they hadn't eaten in weeks.

Half an hour later, they were stuck in a food coma, with Kwest spread out on the bare floor, Sadie in their overstuffed chair and Tommy and Jude sprawled out on the couch.

"As much as I hate to do this," Tommy started, running his fingers through Jude's hair, "there's something we need to do."

"Please don't say more unpacking," Jude protested, not budging from her spot on the couch. "The furniture got here yesterday and we've been unpacking ever since."

"Well we do have to unpack if we want to live here," Tommy said with a grin. "But actually, that's not what I was thinking."

"Really? What else do we need to do?" Jude questioned, sitting up straighter to look into his eyes.

"Well…I kind of promised Darius we would stop by this afternoon," Tommy said tentatively.

"Seriously?" Jude questioned. "But I haven't been there in years…and he's going to be so disappointed in me since I gave all of that up …"

"Jude, he just wants to see you. He wants to say hello, that's it. Come with me—we'll do it together," he said convincingly.

Jude sighed in consideration, seeing the plea in Tommy's gaze. "Okay, okay."

Kwest sat up from his position on the floor and said, "I actually have to head over there too. I can take you guys if you want."

"And leave me?" Sadie said instantly.

"Just for a little while," Kwest said, standing up and walking towards her. "Besides, you should be forced to stay here alone…it's what you get for having your nails done when you knew perfectly well that Jude and Tom would be moving today."

"Kwest!" Sadie exclaimed in irritation, as Kwest chuckled and leaned over to give her a kiss.

"Well then," Jude said, standing up with Tommy, "I expect the place to be fully decorated by the time we get home, Miss Manicure."

"Have I mentioned how happy I am to have you back?" Sadie called out after her sister, hearing them close the front door and leave her alone.

**Epilogue Part II**

Walking into G-Major, Jude immediately felt as though she was being transported to a different time, with the orange sign, long corridors, and familiar chaos seeming almost surreal. She paused as they entered the main lobby, staring around the room in awe. It was decorated exactly as it had been years ago, as her eyes scanned every detail she thought she had forgotten.

Tommy turned back to glance at her before proceeding towards Darius' office and saw her eyes glazed over with a reminiscent expression. He grinned at her, reaching back to take her hand. Her attention turned back to reality, looking at him and gently smiling, knowing that this visit was just as significant to him as it was to her. He squeezed her hand and without a word, continued walking towards the double doors to Darius' office.

Tommy gently tapped on the door with his free hand, glancing at Jude who was standing beside him. He heard a muffled 'come in' and turned the knob to enter the room.

Darius sat behind the desk, half paying attention to the visitors who had just entered. But as he met Tommy and Jude's eyes before him, he dropped the pen in his hand and stood up.

"If I didn't know better," Darius started, stepping around the desk to approach them, "I'd say that you two are in the wrong building."

Tommy and Jude both smiled, as Tommy replied, "It's been awhile."

Darius looked at him incredulously. "Awhile? Tom, five years isn't awhile…it's too long."

Tommy nodded in agreement, as Darius leaned in for a quick hug. Tommy let go of Jude's hand and reciprocated, as Darius pulled back to look at Jude.

"You look great, Jude. It's good to see you," Darius said, hugging her.

"It's good to see you, too," she replied, watching as Darius stepped back to look at them both.

"So, rumor has it that you two aren't just passing through this time."

They both smiled as Jude responded, "The rumor's true. We're back. For good."

"Good," he said, leaning back against his desk. "This is where you belong."

Jude turned to Tommy, grinning timidly, knowing that Darius' statement wasn't just about being in Toronto.

"When did you get back?" Darius asked.

"Yesterday," Tommy answered.

"And what do you intend to do once you get settled?" he asked Tommy.

Tommy shifted uncomfortably, not knowing how to ask what he wanted to. "Well…I'm not sure…I was thinking…or hoping…"

"Let me guess," Darius said. "You want your old job back?"

Tommy silently nodded, an uneasy look in his eyes.

"Why didn't you just say so?" Darius asked with a grin.

"Seriously?" Tommy asked in disbelief.

"You think I'd let you go to another studio?" Darius questioned. Tommy immediately smiled widely, looking over at Jude who was smiling with him.

"And you, Miss Harrison?" Darius asked, walking back to his chair behind the desk.

"Me?" Jude questioned, biting her lip in uncertainty. "I'm umm…undecided."

"Undecided?" Darius questioned, shaking his head. "Well…why don't you go take a look at Studio 1? We completely redid it since you were here. I think you'll like it."

Jude nodded hesitantly, glancing at Tommy before turning to open the door and walk out.

Once she was gone, Darius looked at Tommy with raised eyebrows and said, "You two?"

Tommy grinned and nodded. "Yep."

Darius laughed a little and added, "It's about damn time."

In Studio 1, Jude gazed around the room, looking at the new equipment and the red couch they had put in place of the torn yellow one that was once there. The studio was empty, as she took a seat in front of the sound board, staring out into the recording booth. Memories flooded into her mind, but her heart began to feel heavy at the sight. She couldn't help but feel disappointed in herself, knowing in her heart that she missed the feeling of music in her life.

As she stared into the recording booth, the door quietly opened and someone came in behind her. She was brought out of her reverie as she felt hands on her shoulders. She looked up and saw Tommy looking down at her.

"Hey," she said quietly, trying to muster a smile for him.

He noticed her troubled expression and sat down beside her. He followed her eyes into the recording booth, seeing the microphone set up and the stool perfectly positioned below it. He then looked back at her, watching as she began to tear up, her eyes fixated on the empty room before them.

He looked down, thinking for a moment before glancing back up at her. "Jude, I have a confession to make."

She turned towards him at the sound of his words with a confused look. "Okay…"

"That night, when I showed up at your apartment to tell you that I had broken up with Jessica…I was standing in your hallway for a good half hour before I got the courage to actually knock on your door."

She grinned softly, wondering if that was his confession.

"And while I was out there," he continued, looking into her eyes, "I heard something. Something I hadn't heard in years…something I never thought I'd hear again…"

Her mouth gaped at his words, knowing exactly what he was referring to. She turned away, blushing.

"I heard music," he said, seeing her reaction. "_Your_ music. And it wasn't a recording…you were playing. And singing."

"It was just a one-time thing," she mumbled quietly, looking down.

He slid his chair closer to her, taking both of her hands, causing her to look up at him. He took a deep breath and said, "I know you, Jude Harrison. As much as you want to deny it, you and music can never be separated. It'll always be part of you."

The tears clouded her eyes as she listened to him, knowing that his words rang true. He continued, "Music has always been the thing in your life that kept you sane. Just like it was for me…and even though we help each other stay sane now, neither of us will ever be able to live our lives without it. Music is who we are."

"I…can't…," she started, pulling one of her hands away from his to wipe her eyes.

"Yes, you _can_," he said firmly, his eyes focused on hers. "I know it's in you, Jude. Whatever kept you from making music before is gone…we're starting fresh here. This is your chance to get back what you've been missing."

The tears rolled down her cheeks as she glanced once more at the recording booth. She sighed, feeling a mixture of hesitation and eagerness. He watched her closely, eyeing her every move, waiting for a response.

She turned back towards him, her eyes red and the tears continuing to fall. "I don't know, Tommy…"

"I do," he said, leaning in closer to her. "You need to do this. You need to let the music back into your life."

She sighed once more as his hands went to her cheeks, gently caressing them and wiping away her tears. He added quietly, "Besides, you could be my first artist."

She smiled faintly, looking into his eyes. "Does that mean you would want to produce me again?"

His eyebrows raised, pulling back a bit. "Does that mean you would want to be an artist again?"

"I asked you first," she said with a grin.

He smirked quietly before leaning in to capture her lips lightly. "Yes. I'd be lucky to be able to produce you again."

She pulled back a little, smiling at him, and took a deep breath. Instead of answering his question, she backed up her chair and stood up. His eyes stayed on her as she looked around the room, her eyes locking on something in the corner. She slowly walked over to the acoustic guitar leaning against the wall and picked it up.

Without a word, she walked towards the recording booth, opening the door to let herself in. He smiled at her actions, watching as she sat down on the stool in front of the microphone. She put the headphones on and strummed a few chords before looking into his eyes across the glass.

"Ready?" she asked with a wide smile.

He quickly adjusted a few knobs and inserted a blank reel before looking up at her with a warm smile. He gave her a small nod and pressed the button to talk to her.

"Ready."

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I just want to send a huge thank you to all of the readers out there. You all truly inspired me to keep going on this story and motivated me to make the story better. A special thank you to all of you who reviewed--I really appreciate you taking the time to write something and all of your feedback truly made me so happy, I don't know if I can express how much. You're all the best audience a girl can have and I hope you've enjoyed reading just as much as I have enjoyed writing this. 

I'm working on a one-shot now and hopefully, once the new season starts, I'll have plenty more inspiration for another big story. So keep your fingers crossed for lots of Jommy cuteness. :)

Thanks again!!


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